


Everybody Likes Cupcakes

by MrsEclipse9856



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Best Friends, F/M, Father Figures, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-16 17:39:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 68,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4634277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsEclipse9856/pseuds/MrsEclipse9856
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Jim makes a friend in that bar fight, tries to keep a low profile at the Academy, hangs out with her mom on break and gets a kick out of annoying Pike... because he lets her. You know, the usual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, someone sent me a message asking if I could do the rarest of pairings and I couldn't resist. There aren't that many Jim/Cupcake stories out there either and I looked for F!Jim/Cupcake with no luck. So, I'm gonna do it. Enjoy... with plenty of cupcakes.

"This townie isn't bothering you, right?" the big cadet asked Jim's new friend. She let out a sigh as she turned to size him up. He had to be around 6'2" and he was stocky. Attractive enough, if not for the attitude. It left a lot to be desired.

The girl she was talking to, 'no first name' Uhura, chuckled. "Oh, beyond belief, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"You could handle me; that's an invitation," Jim told the other woman.

"Hey, you better mind your manners," the big guy said with a glare. Jim understands the whole 'Starfleet is a brotherhood' thing and looking out for each other is a given but this really was unnecessary. They were a bunch of kids in a bar.

"Oh relax, cupcake, it was just a joke," she said, patting the man lightly on the cheek.

"Maybe you can't count, but there are four of us and one of you," Cupcake's even taller friend said. Jim was not in the mood to deal with dumb, dumb, dumber and dumbest. All she wanted to do was grab a few drinks and maybe make out with the cute linguist chick.

"Look, if you think that you scare me, you don't. I've been through some shit that would have you crying for your mommy. It would take more than the four of you to just to subdue me. Uhura's a big girl, if she doesn't want to talk to me, all she has to do say so. I seriously doubt she needs you to protect her from me. My advice, go back over there and pout because the hottest girl in the place would rather talk to me than flirt with you." Of course, the biggest idiot of the bunch didn't like that and took a swing at her. Jim dodged the first punch and blocked the second, twisting his wrist in the process. "You seriously can't be that stupid."

Having been in her share of fights, Jim was well aware that his buddies were going to try to back him up. She felt one try to flank her and kicked him in the knee, not hard enough to do any major damage but it was still hard enough to hurt. Guy 3 charged at her, which wasn't the best idea. She ducked low enough to knock him off balance and pushed him into a table. Number 4, Cupcake, seemed to have some sense, he held his hands up and took a step back when, all of a sudden, a whistle went through the room. Like lightening, all the cadets in the place went to attention.

"All of you, out. Now!" Everyone ran out of the bar, Starfleet and civilian alike, at the authority laced voice.

For a long moment, he stared at her and she could almost hear him giving her shit for getting into another fight. Jim picked one of the chairs up and sat down in it. "Too bad they don't know what a softy you really are, Captain Pike. Slummin' it?"

Jim and Chris had a love/hate relationship. She loved to give him grief and he hated all the shenanigans she pulled. Most of the time, it was him pulling her aside or calling her whenever she did something stupid. He'd read her the riot act and she'd promise not to do it again and they both knew that there was a good chance that she would. It wasn't bad, not really. Chris was slightly more of a parent to Jim than her mother was. Not to say Winona didn't try, she did, it was just hard raising two kids alone while being on active duty and the eyes of the whole Federation on you. Jim and her brother didn't like not being close with their mother but they understood.

Unfortunately, her mother's one real effort at settling down a bit turned into a nightmare when Winona took an assignment on Tarsus Four. They were fine for a while, then the governor the colony massacred half the place after a fungus killed the plant life, including a good amount of the food. Pike was on the ship that rescued them and kept an eye on the Kirk kids while their mother blamed herself for surviving something else. Winona didn't realize it, but Jim carried the same guilt. Luckily, Pike gets it, which is why he keeps an eye on her.

"Came to check on my ship. Heard you were working on her," he told her.

"The new Enterprise is yours. You lucky sonofabitch. That ship is gonna be a masterpiece." Jim loves ships. She loves looking at them and she loves building them, especially the one they were working on in the shipyard. The things she would do for that ship.

"You want her, you gotta join up," Chris told her with a smirk. She both loved and hated how he could always read her damn mind.

This was part of the game they like to play, he'd tell her to enlist and she'd pretend not to care, even though they both knew she did. Then, he'd go back in the black and she'd go get another degree just for the hell of it. Only, there was a big difference this time. Chris wasn't going anywhere, he was assigned as a special recruiter at the Academy while his new ship was being built. If she was ever gonna join Starfleet, now was probably the time to do it.

"You gonna give me the speech this year, or should I just do it myself?" she asked. He made a motion for her to continue. Jim chuckled and dug up her best impersonation of the Federation hero. "'Something I admired about your dad: he didn't believe in no-win scenarios. You know that instinct to leap without looking; that was his nature too. In my opinion it's something Starfleet's lost. You're a genius, Jim. I know it and what's worse, you know it too. You can settle for a less than ordinary life, or do you feel like you were meant for something better? Something special? Enlist in Starfleet.' How'd I do?"

"That sounds about right. Then you roll your eyes at me and give me some reason why you won't go. What is it this year?" Chris asked.

Jim shook her head, "I uh… I got nothing. I've been thinking that maybe it's time... been putting it off long enough. I have three conditions, though."

"I'm listening," his smile was so big you would think she handed him a puppy.

"I don't get stuck with some squeaky clean, optimistic kid for a roommate, I get to keep working on the ship and you have to be my advisor. Those are my conditions," she told her only real fatherly influence.

"Done, done and done. Shuttle leaves tomorrow at oh-eight hundred," he told her.

"I'm already on the list, aren't I?" Jim asked.

"No clue what you're talking about, Cadet," he told her with a wink and walked out of the bar.

"Cheeky bastard."

* * *

"At ease, gentlemen," Jim said to the cadets from the night before. To say they were surprised when she got on the shuttle was an understatement. The big one she called Cupcake just watched her as she interacted with Pike. The older man gave her a nudge and told her to be nice. She gave him a pout. "But, _Chris_ … uh, sir."

"That hasn't worked on me since you were eleven, Jimmy. Sit down," the captain told her. She dropped into an empty seat with a chuckle and winked at Uhura, who gave her a beautiful smile.

"You know the captain?" Cupcake asked.

Jim shrugged, "He served with my dad on the Olympus and my mom on the Aldrin. One's dead and the other boldly went on a five year mission, so Pike keeps an eye on me."

The big cadet nodded, "Sorry about last night."

"Are you sorry that you started a fight with some random person you didn't know over a girl who isn't your girlfriend? Or are you sorry that that random person turned out to be a fleet kid on a first name basis with Captain Pike?" she asked.

"A bit of both, I guess," Cupcake mumbled.

"Fair enough. I tend to rub people the wrong way just by existing, so it's cool. You telegraphed, by the way. And you should plant your feet when you swing that hard. You did half my work for me by being off balance. You're wasting your size advantage," she told him.

He gave her a nod, "Still working on my hand-to-hand combat."

"If you need someone to spar with you," she glanced at his friends, "who knows what they're doin', let me know." The cadet gave her a small smile. She had to admit, he was more handsome than she gave him credit for last night. His eyes were almost as blue as hers and carried a wisdom that she did see in the bar. It was probably hidden behind alcohol.

"You need a doctor," she heard the flight officer say. Jim looked in the woman's direction.

A distinctly southern voice replied in aggravation, "I told you people I don't need a doctor, dammit. I _am_ a doctor!"

Chris' flight officer was not having it, "You need to get back to your seat."

"I had one. In the bathroom with no windows," the guy growled.

"You need to get back in your seat, now," the lieutenant told him.

"I suffer from aviophobia, it means fear of dying in something that flies!" Jim actually felt bad for him. If she had to guess, this wasn't his idea. As a matter of fact, it had Chris written all over it. She glanced at the flight deck and saw Chris smirk as he turned towards the helm. Oh, this was definitely his doing.

"Sir, for your own safety, sit down or else I'll make you sit down!" The flight officer held her ground. Even though she was smaller than this guy, the woman stared him down. The doctor huffed before he dropped into the seat new to Jim and the officer walked away.

"I may throw up on ya," the man said to her.

Jim chuckled, "These things are pretty safe."

"Don't pander to me, kid. One tiny crack in the hull and our blood boils in thirteen seconds. Solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait'll you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles, see if you're still so relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding. Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence," he ranted.

"Dude, I was born in a shuttle and I turned out okay. I hate to break this to you, but Starfleet operates in space," she offered up. He had to know that.

"Yeah. Well, I got nowhere else to go. The ex-wife took the whole damn planet in the divorce. All I got left is my bones." He pulled out a small flask and took a swig before offering it to her. Just her kind of guy.

"Jim Kirk," she said after taking the offered drink.

"McCoy. Leonard McCoy," he introduced himself.


	2. Chapter 2

True to his word, Pike put her in Nimitz Hall with Bones –her new nickname for McCoy- as her roommate. The doctor thought it was a little odd but he had the same aversion to chronically optimistic teenagers that she did so he let it go. She'd rather have the grouch over some of these kids, they were all too happy and excited to be here.

"This is gonna suck," she muttered to herself as she dropped into an empty seat in the lecture hall.

Of all the classes Jim was dreading, Introduction to Federation History was the one that bothered her the most. All the first years had to take it; you couldn't test out and there were no waivers or exceptions. The problem is that Jim –and a bunch of people she knew- lived through some of the stuff that they'll cover and she knew that the official story wasn't the whole story.

"Guess your name can't get you out of everything," one of her classmates mumbled from somewhere behind her. Word got around that Jim was there and the sharks were already circling, it was only the third day. She really wished Bones was sitting with her but he had this class later in the day. She was just gonna have to ignore the idiots. It's not hard, Jim's been ignoring idiotic comments about her family since she was a kid. As long as nobody did anything to her, she was good.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked her. Jim looked up and found herself dwarfed by the guy from the bar... the guy she called Cupcake.

"Go ahead. Don't wanna sit with your buddies, Cupcake?" she asked.

"They don't have this class until it later in the day. And it's Hendorff, Gavin Hendorff," he told her.

"I like Cupcake better," Jim told the burly cadet. "Everybody likes cupcakes."

"You sure about that? I mean, I know people who don't," he countered.

She smiled and looked at him, "They're missin' out."

* * *

"You're still here?" Jim asked as she stepped into one of the engineering classrooms. It was well after class but some of the cadets hung around to work on projects, which was her reason for still being in the building.

"I can't get this. I figured running through it again would help but I'm still stuck. You know anything about warp engineering?" Cupcake asked.

"PhD in warp-physics," she told him.

"Really?" The look on his face was priceless.

"Yep. I also have master's degrees in applied mechanics and one in military science," she told him.

Hendorff chuckled, "So, that's why Pike recruited you. I figured there was more to it than your family. People talk."

"I'm used to it. Its not all wrong. I wanted to be like my mother for a long time. She's one of the best engineers in the fleet so I went to school to work on warp cores. I was getting my degree in mechanics when I realized that I'd much rather be me. Had a conversation with Chris... Captain Pike and got my degree in military science. I do take solace in the fact that I'm usually smarter than the people giving me grief. You want some help?" Jim asked. When he nodded, she pulled out the seat next to him and began to look over how far he got. "You're closer than you think."

"Really?" Cupcake asked.

"Yea, really. Let's get you to the finish line."

* * *

The Starfleet Academy Desert Survival Course wasn't a real class. There weren't any grades or tests and the only person that mattered in the end, was the one that finished first. The cadet who won gained the respect of the upperclassmen and bragging rights as the 'King of the Plebes'.

Jim stood right at the starting line with Uhura and Uhura's roommate, Gaila. The Orion girl was bubbly and sweet but Jim knew better than to underestimate anyone. She thought Bones might be down for something like this but he had a shift at the hospital. He threatened to hypo the crap outta her if she got hurt.

Pike gave her a warning that wasn't a warning. The man simply told her to watch her six. Well, she does that already. Fortunately, Hendorff had friends who were in the year ahead of them, and they warned him about booby-traps all over the course. In turn, Cupcake warned her. She looked for him when she got off the shuttle but she couldn't find him.

"This is probably gonna suck," Gaila muttered.

"Maybe you ladies should stick with me," came the booming voice of the big Andorian cadet behind them, "I'm Thanas." Gaila smiled at him while Jim and Uhura rolled their eyes. Jim has better game than that. She didn't have to think about it too long, a small group of upperclassmen hopped onto a rock that was off to the side of the course.

"Alright, plebes," one of the upperclassmen said. "Ahead of you is the Starfleet Desert Survival Course. Your only objective: be first to finish. The only person that matters is the winner. That cadet gets no prize, just the knowledge that they are the best in the class. You go on my mark."

At the shot from the phaser, they all took off. Jim would've laughed at the idiots who were sprinting in an effort to get ahead if she had the time or inclination to. Even though she couldn't see the end, Jim was well aware that this was at least a marathon length course with obstacles, the first was ahead of her.

Jim leaped over the pit like it was nothing. Unfortunately, some of her classmates weren't so lucky and they were pulling themselves up. That's what they get for sprinting off like they did, they were dropping like flies; too fast from the line and taken out by booby-traps. Jim dodged the stun-mine and the phaser fire.

Gaila spoke from behind her left side, "They aren't kidding, huh?"

Jim chuckled, "Of course not."

They zig-zagged though the terrain until they came to a cliff face. There were a quite a few cadets who looked terrified at the idea of climbing it. Jim chuckled and nudged her way to the front, she found hand and foot holds and began the climb down.

"Fancy meeting you here," came Hendorff's voice from above her. Crap. Due to his height, he actually had an advantage on her and he knew it.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite operations cadet," Jim said to him. "You know I'm gonna win, right?"

"You win, I'll buy your drinks for the rest of the semester. I win and you buy," he offered as they neared the bottom.

"You're on, Cupcake." He jumped the last few feet and she was right behind him. They had made it to the last leg of the course, a flat out run. Hendorff has the longer legs but she was faster. It was gonna be close. She just managed to catch up to him when the Andorian from before caught up to them and sped past, getting the win.

"We were so close, Cupcake," she said she slowed her run to a walk.

"Did it really have to be Thanas? He's already an ass, this'll just make it worse," Cupcake muttered.

"No kidding. Come on, let's go get cleaned up and grab a drink. I'll even buy the first round."

* * *

"I told you not to get hurt," Bones growled at her.

"This is from a bar fight. I didn't even start this one," she mumbled.

Hendorff nodded, "It's not her fault, doc. That asshole wouldn't stop saying shit about her dad. I told him to back off and he started swinging. There were six of them and the two of us. What else were we supposed to do?"

"You're lucky it's not worse," Bones muttered.

Jim smiled, "Ha... I wish. Lucky's not a word in my vocabulary." Of course, that's when Pike walked into the room. "See… crappy luck. What can I do for you, sir?"

"You can stop giving me gray hair. A bar fight, Jim?" Chris asked. She sighed before she explained what happened. He looked at her, then Hendorff, then back at her again. "Since you like to fight, you can be my assistant for the advanced hand-to-hand class. Hendorff, you're taking the intermediate class?" When the tall cadet nodded, Pike smiled, "Jim, you're gonna get him ready for the advanced class."

"Yes, sir," Jim sighed. She was not happy about getting more duties because some jerk in a bar wouldn't leave her alone. If she had to guess, Pike was just trying to keep her busy. "Am I done, Bones?"

"Yeah, kid," her roommate answered.

"Thanks for trying to stick up for me, Gavin. It's been a while since someone has, I almost forgot what it felt like," she gave his knee a squeeze and left the room. Pike followed her out.

"You wanna tell me the whole story?" her advisor asked.

"There's nothing to tell. Every time I turn around, someone is my face about George. I never even met the man… but for some reason everyone seems to forget that. Your mom died when you were a teenager, can you imagine if everyone kept telling you that Willa hated you? That she died to get away from you? That you're not good enough to be her son? That it's your fault that she's gone?" He didn't have to say anything, the look of hurt on his face was enough. "Exactly."


	3. Chapter 3

"baQa'," Jim said to no one in particular. Everyone sitting at the table looked at her.

"Language, Kirk," Uhura muttered. The command cadet rolled her eyes and kept reading the message on her PADD.

"What does that even mean?" Bones asked.

"It's a Klingon curse word. There's no real translation but it's like dropping an f-bomb," the linguist told him.

"I didn't know you speak Klingon, kid," the doctor said, giving Jim a nudge.

"I can curse in Klingon, that's not really speaking it. I do know some basic stuff but not enough to hold a conversation," she answered. Hoshi was teaching her on Tarsus but they didn't get past the basics before half of the colony was massacred. At least they finished the Vulcan lessons.

"What warranted a Klingon curse?" Gaila asked her.

"A.T.T." she told the group.

"What about it?" the Orion cadet asked.

"I got an invite," Jim told her.

A.T.T., or Advanced Tactical Training, is a specialized course of tactical and intelligence training for Starfleet cadets and officers. It was a highly challenging course that one had to either be invited to or recommended for since half those who took it usually washed out. Jim was just invited. She shouldn't have been so surprised, she was at the top of the survival strategies and tactical analysis courses. And, thanks to Pike, the assistant instructor in advanced hand-to-hand combat. Just the kind of person A.T.T. recruits.

"You're gonna do it, right?" Bones asked just as Hendorff sat down in the empty seat next to her.

"Do what?" the burly cadet asked. She handed him her PADD. Jim watched as his eyes widened and he smiled. "You gotta do it. You know how rare it is for a first year to get an invite to A.T.T."

"I know. Though, technically, I'm not a first year. I tested out of too many classes, I'll graduate in under three like Bones," Jim pointed out.

"Fine. A second year. Does it matter, Jim? You got invited to one of the most exclusive courses in all of Starfleet. You gotta do it," Cupcake told her.

"I never said I wasn't. I'm just wondering how much this is about me and how much this is about my name. Heaven forbid someone sent me an invite just to see George Kirk's daughter wash out," she told the other cadets at the table. Bones rested his hand on her shoulder in silent support. Surprisingly, Uhura was the person who spoke first.

"I will deny this if you tell anyone but you're good. Like annoyingly good. While it is very obvious that there are people who want to see you fail, I highly doubt that Starfleet would let you into A.T.T. just for you to wash out. I'll even bet you a round of drinks that Pike put your name up for it," the communications cadet told her.

"Maybe. I'll ask him when I see him later," Jim muttered before she went back to eating her lunch, willing her friends to go back to their previous conversations. Thankfully, they did.

"Hey," Gavin nudged her. When she looked at him, he smiled. "It doesn't matter why you got invited to A.T.T., you did. So, go through the course and kick ass."

"Just like that, huh?" she asked.

Cupcake smiled, "Just like that."

* * *

"Whatcha doin'?" a voice whispered from behind her. Jim was in the library studying for her Interstellar Political Organization exam. It was a third year course but she tested out of the prerequisites.

"Trying and failing to understand politics. Sup, Cupcake?" she asked as he sat in the empty seat next to her.

"Nothing much. Got kicked out of my room," he said with a sigh. "Roommate's getting laid."

"Wanna crash with me?" she asked. He opened his mouth to refuse but she cut him off, "Bones is working the night shift. I'll sleep in his bed and you can have mine. He won't care as long as I actually sleep. I'm really bad about stuff like that."

"Sleeping? You know that's basic human function, right?" Cupcake asked.

"Bad habit. My mom took an assignment… somewhere and something bad happened, sleep was the least of my worries. After that the nightmares kept me awake. Now A.T.T. is zapping all my time. I don't think I've had an honest good night's sleep since I was a kid."

"That's really sad," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You know that saying about what doesn't kill you and all that jazz. So, are you gonna wander the campus all night or are you gonna take me up on the warm bed that I don't use nearly enough to appease Bones and Pike?" Jim asked.

"You know the second I walk into your room, people are gonna think we're sleeping with each other," Gavin whispered.

"Because they don't already think that," she said. Of course she's heard the rumors and they didn't stop with Cupcake. Every time she was even remotely friendly with someone, a rumor that she slept with them popped up in record time. It was more annoying than anything. She was by no means a virgin but she certainly wasn't a slut.

"Good point," he said after a minute. "I guess you got a roommate for the night."

"Alright then."

* * *

"So," Bones said to her.

"So, what?" Jim asked.

"So, I'm not trying to pry and you don't have to answer this but what's the deal with you and the big guy?" he asked her. Jim looked at her friend and roommate for a few minutes. He sighed, "You and Hendorff. Are you guys a thing?"

"Me and Cupcake? That's cute. You know, you can't assume that just because I hang out with someone that's I'm _with_ them. If I listened to all the rumors, I'd be with you, Chris… don't wanna think about that too hard, Sulu, Gaila, Mitchell and a few other people," Jim deflected. Not that she wouldn't date any of the people she named, save Chris because he was like her dad and it would just be wrong, but Jim wasn't dating anyone at all.

"You know what I mean, kid," the southerner was just as sharp as she was and he saw the dodge.

"We're friends, Bones. Just like I'm friends with you. And Gary. And Hikaru. And so on," she told him. "I appreciate the whole big brother thing you got going on here. I can't wait until you meet Sam. You both have this uncanny ability of mothering me."

"Yea, well... that's what you do when you get stuck dealing with an infant. I have no idea how your brother put up with you for two decades," the doctor said.

"He loves me. Just like you love me," Jim told him.

"I never said that," Bones smirked.

"Didn't have to."

* * *

Jim didn't like being grabbed, she especially didn't like the person who grabbed her and pulled her behind Tucker Hall, the engineering building.

"What do you want, Vik?" she asked the cadet with his arm around her. Viktor Tikhonov was the leader of A.T.T.'s team Alpha for the three final tests of the six month long course. Jim was in charge of Delta. He gave her a look before two of his buddies showed up. "So, it's like that?"

"I got plans and you're in my way, _Kirk_ ," he spat her name at her like a curse. Viktor was pissed because her team aced the First Contact scenario. While Delta got their asses kicked in the Security final, they had the advantage going into the Science final, Tanika Station. Vik was obviously trying to tip the odds in Alpha's favor.

"You think beating me up is gonna solve that problem. You can't be that stupid, Vik," Jim tried. She could tell it wasn't gonna help so she went with Plan B and hit him in his thigh. Vik let her go but one of his buddy closed in on her right. Luckily, he ended up on his ass with Hendorff standing over him. Jim let out a sigh of relief. Explaining to Pike why she was fighting another cadet –on campus, no less- was not part of her plan for the night.

"Walk away, Tikhonov," Gavin growled.

"Didn't know you were so soft, Hendorff," Tikhonov said to her friend.

"I didn't know that you were such a bitch that you needed your buddies to fight a hundred and twenty pound woman," Hendorff told the other cadet as he moved himself between her and Vik. "She's my friend. Stay away from her or you'll have to deal with me. Come on, Jim." Cupcake didn't give Tikhonov a chance to say anything, he reached back and took her hand. The pair walked away, leaving Vik and his sidekicks behind the building.

"You know this isn't the end of it, right?" Jim asked when they were closer to Nimitz.

"I know. Might have to walk you home at night to keep you out of trouble," Hendorff replied. Jim couldn't help but smile.

"And they say chivalry is dead."


	4. Chapter 4

"You guys are never gonna believe this shit," Jim said as she dropped next to Uhura on the grass in the courtyard near their dorms and looked at the small group.

"Well, don't keep us waiting, kid," Bones muttered.

"Okay, okay. So, Delta impressed the new programmer of the A.T.T. science final, some Vulcan prodigy guy. Anyway, we got his assessment on the way back and he said, and I quote, 'Tanika Station is a dormant world with its own ecological system and prevents a challenge to cadets as it is full of familiar things functioning in unfamiliar ways. Team Delta acknowledged this meta-reality and their decision to refrain from standard specimen collection was the most correct and logical course of action. Sampling would have harmed, and likely killed, the highly intelligent species occupying Tanika Station. Team Delta should be commended for their outstanding attention to detail.' Commended! Coming from a Vulcan, that's like... I can't even. We're the only team in the history of the test to get a hundred percent. As soon as the review is completed I will hold an A.T.T. rating. How awesome is that?" she was practically giddy. "We gotta celebrate."

"No can do, kid. I got a shift later," her best friend said.

"But, Bonesy! You're killin' me. All in this area," she waved her hand over where her heart is.

"Oh, don't be such an infant. You'll survive a few hours without me. I heard a rumor that you were a Starfleet cadet," her very southern friend grumbled.

"Hardy har har," she said before looking at Uhura. "I'll love you forever, Ny."

"You already love me. I promised one of my instructors that I'd help out in the sensor lab, sorry," Uhura told her.

"Gaila? Gavin?" she asked her other friends. "Come on, Hikaru and Gary already bowed out, they have some piloty stuff to do. You guys are my last hope."

"No can do, I gotta study," Gaila said with a smirk. Jim wondered _who_ her friend was gonna study.

"I'll go," Cupcake told her.

"See, at least I can depend on one of you. I gotta go talk to Pike. I'll send you the details," Jim said with a smile. He nodded and she was off to see the wizard. Jim giggled to herself and wondered if she could get away with calling Chris that to his face.

* * *

"I can't believe my team bailed on us to go with those girls," Jim said as she and Gavin walked back to campus.

"Yes, you can. All that extra work you've been doing didn't leave you guys time for much else. Now they have the time," he told her.

"You know could've gone with them, Cupcake... I mean, if you wanted to," she smiled.

"I'm good. We left campus together, we go back together," the tall cadet said. Jim registered that the man a few paces behind them was closing in and another on her their eight o'clock. Hendorff's arm tightened around her shoulders, he must've noticed them too.

"Fight or flight?" Jim asked.

"We're not the kind of people to run from a fight. Especially from Tikhonov," he said. Jim looked up from her communicator and followed his line of sight to the other cadet.

She really wasn't in the mood to deal with Vik but she doubts he's gonna give them the option. Hopefully Pike reads the urgency in her message and gets to them soon. Jim could hold her own with the best of them and so could Gavin but they were outnumbered four to one with no idea if these guys were armed or not. They weren't impossible odds, just not in their favor.

"But this is my favorite jacket," she groaned. "Let's get this over with. I'll try to stall for time but I doubt he'll listen." Gavin nodded as he let her go and they both took more defensive stances. "Viktor. What can I do for you this evening?"

"I told you, you're in my way," Vik said.

"And I told you that beating me up wasn't gonna do you any good. My advice is to walk away before Captain Pike shows up and you get into a crap-ton of trouble," she told the cadet.

"Why, because you're George Kirk's precious little girl?" Vik teased.

"Nope. Because Captain Pike doesn't like cowards. You and your seven buddies trying to ambush us counts," Jim replied.

She was facing Vik but her eyes were watching his friends. She recognized some of them from the Academy and shook her head at the absurdity of it. Jim saw the guy coming at her before anyone realized that she noticed. She waited until the very last second and took a step back towards Cupcake. Vik's guy missed her but it didn't matter because Vik took that as his cue to start swinging at her.

* * *

"We sent you a message when we realized what was going on. It wasn't our fault, even the Fed Security agents said as much, Chris… sir… oh, whatever. The point is, we didn't start this. We were headed back to campus, well before curfew I might add, and Tikhonov just showed up," she told her friend and advisor.

"You didn't tell me he was a problem," Chris said to her.

"If I told you about every person who gave me grief, I'd spend more time here than in class. I should've warned you about Vik but I didn't think he was that stupid. He's one of the best tacticians I've ever seen, maybe even better than me. I never thought he'd go that far," Jim said with a sigh.

"And where do you fall into this, Hendorff?" Pike asked.

"Just looking out for my friend, sir," Gavin answered, his presence next to her was reassuring to say the least. Chris nodded and watched something on his screen before he looked at them.

"Fed Security sent over the vids. You two are clear. Do me a favor and stay out of trouble, Jim. Your mother is more of a pain in my ass now than she was when we served together. Okay?" the older man asked with a small smile.

"I'll try. Are we dismissed?" she asked. As much as she loved to hang out with him, she needed to wash off the blood and grime from the fight.

"Yea, get out of here," Chris said. "Oh, and Jim, nice take down. Medical says you broke Tikhonov's nose... Among other things."

Jim shrugged, "That's not even the worst of it. Bones is on duty in the E.R."

* * *

"You going home for Christmas, short stuff?" Gavin asked as they finished up their sparring session.

"I'm not short, you're abnormally tall. And home is a relative term. I'm going to spend my week off on the Ellington," she told him.

"You mom's ship?" he asked.

"Yep. Amazingly, she's closer than my brother right now, he took a staff biologist gig out on Deneva," Jim answered. "I'll probably spend my time hanging out with her shipmates since she's usually busy. But if I don't go, who knows when I'll get to see her next."

"Ahh, the life of a fleet kid," the tall cadet quipped.

"Yea. I had it so easy growing up around red alerts, murderous megalomaniacs, famines and exploding starships. It was great earning battle scars while going through puberty. Yay me," she exclaimed loudly and sarcastically for the eavesdropping idiots in the gym.

"Could be worse," Cupcake said. Jim raised an eyebrow. "What doesn't kill you… yada yada yada."

"Very true. In case I forget to say it later; have fun in Chicago," Jim said with a smile.

"I will. Have fun hanging out in the lounges on your mother's ship," he offered.

"Have I taught you nothing? Engineering, Cupcake, I hang out in engineering." The burly cadet let out a booming laugh and holy hell if it wasn't one of the best things she's ever heard.

* * *

"Well, look at ye, lass. All grown up," Lieutenant Scott said as she hopped off the transporter pad.

"You realize that I'm only a decade younger than you, right?" Jim asked as the officer hugged her.

"Of course I do, Jimmy," he replied as he let her go and picked up her bag. Then he launched into telling her about his latest project while he walked her to her mom's quarters.

Winona has a very accurate reputation of being a hardass who is rarely impressed. Montgomery Scott is one of the few people who managed to catch her attention and Jim could see why. The man was a genius. A mad scientist kind of genius but still a genius. Her mother has been following his career since before it started. Something about disproving Starfleet theories when he was fourteen, getting it published at fifteen and making everyone look like idiots before training in both command and engineering at the Academy. Scotty –as his friends called him- was the kind of officer that other officers wished they could be like and Jim was no exception.

"Alrighty, lass. I got some work to do but I expect to see you down in engineering so I can see what they're teaching at the Academy," he said. The Ellington would be back near Earth in six months and Scotty was gonna be teaching at the Academy.

"Like I could resist an invitation like that. You are aware that between you, mom and my degrees I'm a bit more advanced than other command cadets… some of the engineers too," Jim said.

"True. You can come down there later anyway. You like engines too much to stay away," Scotty said.

"Well… I am a Kirk woman."


	5. Chapter 5

"So, are you seeing anyone?" Winona asked her while they spent their Christmas working on the dilithium regulators. Jim looked at her mom in amazement, it was a very motherly question. Not that Winona couldn't be motherly, she just wasn't a good chunk of the time.

"I'm sure Chris would've told you if I was. I know that he's passing along updates about my time at the Academy. By the way, give him a break. The man has work to do without fielding messages from you checking up on me. I do answer my comm with I have time. Go ahead and ask your questions," Jim finally said.

At first, it was updates on the mundane stuff about the campus, classes and how she was dealing with her publicity -or infamy, depending on how you looked at it- with her classmates. Of course, that bled into a conversation about her friends. Jim was talking about Gaila's latest fling when Winona gave her a look.

"What about this Hendorff guy? Chris says you call him Cupcake," the engineer asked.

"It's just a nickname, I gave them to a few people. Gavin is a friend. Why? What exactly did Chris tell you?" Jim was curious.

"Nothing. He just mentioned that you two beat some cadets up after they ambushed you. He's the only one you haven't talked about yet," her mother answered. Jim didn't believe that, not with the look on Winona's face.

"You're worse than Bones," the younger woman muttered. Winona chuckled. She got to talk to the grumpy southerner that last time the two women chatted over vid-comm.

"I am not. I just have a piece of advice," her mother said. "Don't make any major commitments while in the Academy. See some of the universe first. As much as I love you and Sam, I wonder what life would've been like if Georgie and I didn't jump in headfirst. That's all I'm gonna say."

"So, take my time?" she asked her mother. Winona nodded. "Okay, mom. I can do that."

* * *

"Bonesy! You look like you've seen a ghost," Jim said as she stepped off the transporter pad. After five and a half days with her mother, Jim had to get back to class. She wasn't expecting Bones to meet her but she was happy to see the grouch. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just don't like having my molecules scrambled by that damn contraption," he grunted.

"Well, if you don't like shuttles or transporters, how are you gonna get around when we go out in the black?" she asked.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her. Jim wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"Oh, please. You're gonna be my chief medical officer one day. Just you wait and see," the command cadet told her friend as they walked towards their dorm.

"You really think so, huh?" he gave her a look.

"Yep. You and me. Plus Ny, Gaila, Hik, Gary, Cupcake… that nurse you like who's name I don't know, my friend Scotty. We're gonna be the most badass crew in the galaxy," she told him like it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

"You're delusional, kid."

* * *

"What are you guys doing?" Jim asked Gavin when she spotted him and some of his operations buddies in a small huddle.

"Nothing, Kirk," one of the idiots growled at her. She raised an eyebrow and the guy before looking at her friend.

"Cupcake?"

"We have a prank in mind for Thanas but we can't get in his room. His roommate washed out a month after break and they haven't given him a new one yet. Timing's perfect, we're just locked out," he told her.

"Hack the lock," she said.

"If we could, we would," another of Hendorff's friends –Prescott, she thinks- said.

"I can do it," Jim offered. "Security monitors too. I'll even keep watch until you're done…"

"Adding a foot and a half of gelatin to his floor," the first guy told her.

"Oh, I'm definitely in just so I can see the look on his face. Smug asshole," she said with a chuckle. "We'll need to drop the temp in his room too so it'll set faster."

"You're seriously not gonna tell on us?" a third cadet asked.

"Why would I? If only you knew some of the prank stories that my mom and Pike told me… they were epic," Jim said honestly. They all seemed to relax and Cupcake chuckled.

"Jim, this is Delaney, Xi and Prescott," Gavin told her. "Guys, Jim Kirk."

Xi explained that they had liquid gelatin and a hose, they were gonna spray a mixture of the gelatin and water into Thanas' room and, if she can drop the temp, it'll set up. They weren't so mean that they'd leave any electronics on the floor but everything else was fair game. Jim set the security monitor on a loop, got them in the room and stood watch with Cupcake while she hacked the room's temp settings and lowered them.

"Where'd you learn to hack?" Gavin asked her quietly while they stood in the hallway.

"My mom. The ship we were on got boarded by Orions once. She talked me through my first hack when I was ten. I unlocked the security station so the officers could take it back. I'm nowhere near as good as her at it but I practice in case I need to pull myself out of a jam," she told him.

"I don't know if that's scary or cool," he said.

"A bit of both," Jim said as the door behind her opened and the three cadets poured out.

"Come on," Xi said. They all made their way through the building and out into the dark courtyard before they burst into laughter.

"I wish we could see his face," Gavin said.

"We can," Delaney said. He turned his PADD towards them and it was a feed to Thanas' room. "It's a small camera. Untraceable and undetectable. Come on, let's go to that café that's open all night and wait him out."

They didn't have to wait too long for Thanas to get back to his room. Bonus points for the cute redhead studying Stellar Cartography that was with him. The five cadets squeezed together around Delaney and watched as the tall Andorian and his date entered the room, mid-make out session. At first, neither of them noticed… then the redhead screamed. The look on Thanas' face was priceless. Jim was never gonna be able to look at him the same.

"Next time, we should glue everything to the ceiling," Prescott said.

"Would that even work?" Delaney asked.

"Yep. Industrial adhesives. Engineering has a ton of 'em," Cupcake answered.

Jim laughed, "Let me know when you're doing that one. I want in."

"You got it. Hendorff told us you were cool. I'm glad he was right," Xi told her. Jim nudged her friend.

"You're not supposed to tell people that I'm not really a nepotistic bitch," she said sarcastically.

"Oops."

* * *

No, no, no. This was not the day for this shit. She made a lame excuse about Pike needing her for something on the Enterprise and practically ran out of class. Jim shouldn't have been surprised that Hendorff followed her.

"Go away, Gavin," she said as her feet took her to the one place no one on campus ever sees her go. The memorial.

"No can do. You're pale. Like milk is darker than you kind of pale. What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't… I just can't. Go back to class," Jim said. She was begging him to go in her mind but she couldn't get the words out.

"No. What's wrong?" he asked again.

"I was there. I was on Tarsus and all that crap they're teaching is glossed over bullshit. It's insulting and painful to have people's last memories and survival stories changed and contorted into… whatever that was. Hoshi's probably turning over in her fuckin' grave," she told him as tears ran down her face. "Oh, shit. Gavin…"

"You were on Tarsus Four?" he asked. Jim nodded. "You survived." She nodded again. "The curriculum is bullshit?" Jim chuckled and nodded again. "Okay. Will you tell me the real story?"

"You really want to know?" she asked. Jim didn't want to know and she lived it.

"Yea. I wanna hear what really happened. We can't fix the mistakes of the past if we don't know what they were. I could ask Pike, because I'm sure he knows, if it'll make you feel better but I'd like to hear the whole story. It's part of your story," Cupcake said. Jim stared at him for a minute before she hugged him, pressing her face against his chest. His arms wrapped around her and he chuckled, "It's gonna be okay, Jim."


	6. Chapter 6

"What ship did you get?" Bones asked her.

"The Farragut. You?" Jim looked at her friend.

"The USS Kensington. Three months on a ship… I don't know if I'll be able to do it, Jim," he grumbled.

"Of course you will. I'll keep an eye on you," Gaila said. Apparently, she was going on the same ship as their favorite doctor. "Where are you going, Hendorff? Guys?"

"Farragut with Kirk," Prescott said.

"I'll be on the Kens with you guys," Delaney shrugged.

"Ellington," Cupcake and Xi both said at the same time. Jim gave them a look before she laughed.

"Oh, you poor boys. I'm so, so sorry," she barely got out.

"Why?" Xi asked.

"Her mother's the XO and Chief Engineer," Bones told the other cadet. "People give her crap about her father but Commander Kirk's the one they should watch out for. She's the real hero. Woman's been in the fleet for almost thirty years."

"She's gonna chew you up and spit you out. Especially you, Cupcake," Jim warned.

"Why me? What did I do?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just that you're my friend and she has to make sure you're up to snuff. She already gave Bones the mom inspection over comm and it was worse than facing a pissed off Barnett… you get to do it in person," she told her tall friend. "Just… don't hate me for the torture you're about to endure."

"I can handle a little torture."

* * *

Jim was bored… which rarely happens. They'd been on their training cruises for two months already but she hasn't seen much action. The command cadet was serving every other day as the Beta shift tactical officer, which was cool, but they weren't doing anything that required her to be tactical. Charting planets was not nearly as fun as she remembers it. Of course, the last time she was on a charting mission, she was fifteen and hung out in engineering.

"Are you playing chess with yourself?" Ensign Androvar Drake asked as he sat across from her.

"No, I'm playing the computer," she answered.

"Who's winning?" he asked her.

"No one at the moment. Whoever programmed the computer is a good chess player, that's where the computer would get it's skills from," Jim said as she concentrated on her game.

"You wanna play a person? We could make it interesting," the tactical officer offered.

Jim shrugged, "Sure. Stakes?"

"I win and you go out with me," he told her.

"And when I win?" she asked.

"I'll let you take my next shift. You're bored when you're not on the bridge. You in?" Drake said with a chuckle.

"You sure you wanna embarrass yourself like this?" Jim asked him.

"I'll live," Drake said with a shrug.

"Okay," Jim said before she told the computer to pause their game, she'd return to it later.

They went back and forth for a while, even drawing an audience in the rec room. If she had to guess, there was something about two tacticians trying to out think each other that people had to watch.

"Checkmate," Jim declared after a little under two hours.

"That's… shit. Nicely done, Miss Kirk," Drake said.

"So, when's your next shift?" she asked.

"Tonight, Gamma," he told her. "Rematch sometime?"

"Only if you like losing."

* * *

"Helm, come about. Kirk, whatcha got?" Captain Stephen Garrovick asked her from the command chair.

"Six ships closing fast on our starboard flank. Configuration of the vessels registers as being from Epsilon Canaris Three. So far, three have come back as stolen… four. I'm pretty sure they're pirates, sir," Jim told the captain. He nodded and started issuing orders to the crew just as the ships started firing on them.

Jim's hands flew over the tactical station as the captain ordered her to return fire at will. They weren't gonna be able to fight long, not when they were outnumbered six-to-one. She glanced at the officer at helm.

"I'm gonna mark a ship. Concentrate fire on it's secondary hull, when it goes down, set a collision course," she said.

"Sir?" the officer looked back at the command chair.

"Something up your sleeve, Miss Kirk?" the CO asked.

"Yes, sir. They'll move as soon as we get close. We jump to warp as soon as that happens. Starbase Seven isn't far from us at warp four, Captain," she reported.

"Sounds like a plan. Helm, make it happen," Garrovick ordered.

* * *

"I'm fine, mom, I promise. This bump on the head is the worst of it. The ship's a bit too banged up to take us back to Earth though," Jim told her mother.

"I know. We're gonna swing by and pick that group of cadets up. You'll finish out the last three weeks of your tour with us," Winona told her.

"That's not gonna be a problem, is it?" the younger woman asked. It's not that families can't -or don't- serve together, it's just not recommended. Jim knows from her mom and Chris was a pain in the ass it was when Mister Charlie, Chris' father, served with them on the Aldrin.

"No. You won't be reporting to me anyway. We'll observe ranks on duty and be discreet off duty. Simple as that," her mom said.

"Okay. When are you guys gonna get here?" Jim asked.

"Tomorrow morning according to Captain Zeller. I'll see you then, sweetie," the other woman said.

"Okay. I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Jimmy. Get some rest. Kirk out."

* * *

Hanging out in engineering with Scotty was something that Jim could do. She'd been on the Ellington for two days and wasn't due to do a shift on the bridge until the next day. Having twice the cadets they were supposed to, on top of the officers assigned to the ship, meant the cadets all worked fewer shifts than they expected. It wasn't all bad, Jim stayed in engineering with her mom and Monty, two of her favorite people.

"Heard you pulled some crazy ass maneuver and saved your ship," Cupcake said from somewhere near her feet. She was working under a console, how the hell he knew it was her, she'll never know.

"Well, you know me. As long as it works, I don't care if it's crazy. Hand me the EPI capacitor and watch that screen for any changes," Jim told her friend. He handed her the tool and asked what she was doing. Jim explained it to him while doing some things wrong so he could see the differences on the screen of the console she was under. Jim ended with what it's supposed to look like before pulling herself out of the crapped space.

"Not a bad demonstration, cadet," her mother said. She and some of the other officers were watching Jim's impromptu power inverter lesson.

"Thank you, ma'am," Jim said as she and Gavin practically jumped to attention.

"As you were," Winona told the pair.

"Yes, ma'am," they both said as the older Kirk walked away.

"No offense, because she's your mother, but she scares the crap outta me," Cupcake whispered as they started putting the panels to the console back where they belonged.

"I warned you. Did you think I was kidding?" she asked.

"A little. I mean, you're nice... sweet, even. You had to get it from somewhere," he pointed out.

"You know I can be a bitch if I really want to be. Most people don't get to see her softer side. After my father… people treated her like she was made of glass and it pissed her off. She had two small children and a job and no time to be coddled. So, she became harder on duty. That doesn't mean she's not sweet or nice. She even made me cupcakes last time I was here since I had to go back before my birthday. You met Commander Kirk but Winona is a bit different," Jim told him. He considered her words for a moment before he smiled.

"You think you can talk her into making some more cupcakes?" the tall cadet finally asked.

"Really?" she put her hands on her hips and looked up at him.

"What? You're the reason I have this nickname in the first place," he said. Well, that was true. And her mom makes good cupcakes, even on the ship.

Jim chuckled, "I'll see what I can do… Cupcake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drake and Garrovick are canon characters that served on the Farragut with Kirk Prime before TOS.


	7. Chapter 7

"Why did I agree to do this?" Bones asked.

"Oh, stop your whining. Survival skills should be mandatory. Never know when you're gonna need 'em," Jim said. The doctor and Gavin both gave her a look, hearing the meaning under her words. 'Survival skills saved my life, so shut up and deal.' At least, that's what she was thinking. Anything to get over the cold.

The group of six cadets was participating in the Arctic Survival course in Greenland, which is covered in ice. Iceland, on the other hand, is pretty green. Jim made a mental note to figure that one out later.

"I swear to all that's holy, Jim, if I get frostbite…" Bones started.

"Shut up," one of the other cadets, Sheen, said. Jim couldn't help but laugh at Bones glaring and grumbling to himself after that.

"Is he always like that?" came a heavily accented voice.

Jim looked at the guy that has brass falling over themselves about. They even call him the Russian wiz-kid. Pavel Chekov is a newly-sixteen year old genius that joined up while they were on their training cruise and was flying though the Academy at break-neck speed. He was the kind of genius that Jim could put in a room with Scotty and watch as they redefined the laws of physics. She'll admit, she's a bit jealous.

"It ebbs and flows, kid. Sometimes he's the insanely brilliant doctor who could fix anything with nothing and some days, he lets his fears and phobias get the better of him. Usually it's not at the same time. Why are you taking this class? Aren't you Russian? I figured you'd be used to the cold," she said.

"Da. I am used to the cold. It's the heat that I have a problem with. This class teaches survival in both. You have some survival skills too, da?" he asked.

"Some. Crash course from my mom when I was a teenager." It was mostly the truth.

"Good. Together, we may be able to get your friend home without frostbite, da," the kid said.

Jim nodded, "That sounds like a plan, Chekov."

* * *

They found a cave to sleep in and pooled their gear. They all grabbed water purification stuff, field rations and socks. The rest of the gear was different depending on who packed the bag. There were five sleeping bags, three field knifes, two mini shovels, six flashlights, ten glow sticks, two phasers, two medpacks, three grapples, three hundred feet of rope, three pairs of sunglasses, four extra sets of hats and gloves and a handful of protein bars. The water they started with lasted until they found a new source. Jim expected much worse.

"Are you sure?" Bones asked her for the millionth time.

"God, you're such a southern flower. It's water, Bones. It was snow, I boiled it, filtered it and cooled it myself. I'm telling you to drink it. Don't make me order you," she said as they stood in the cave. Jim heard a snicker, "This isn't funny, Gavin."

"It's a little funny. You reminded me of your mom just now," he told her as he tried not to laugh.

"I do not," Jim said, turning her attention from one friend to the other. "Take that back."

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," Cupcake offered.

"You're scared of her," she pointed out.

"Not as much as I was," he told her.

"Of course not, she made you cupcakes," Jim said.

"They were damn good too," Hendorff quipped.

"I told you," she chuckled. "Men and food. A partnership as old as time." Jim turned her attention to her best friend, "Look, Bones, if you're not gonna drink it, don't drink it. You're the medical professional. You know what happens when you get dehydrated. Have fun with that. Just don't expect me to carry you."

"I hate you," the doctor said before he took a drink. "It's water."

"No shit, Sherlock," Willoughby muttered. Bones moved to glare at the girl but Jim wouldn't let him.

"She has a point, Bonesy. You've been grumbling all day. You know the kid over there is from Russia, Cupcake's from Chicago and I'm from Iowa. You keep dissing everything I loved about going home for the winter," Jim said.

"Snowball fights," Gavin said with a small smile.

"Da. Snow angels," Chekov added.

"Catching snow on your tongue," Sheen added. They all looked at him. He shrugged, "I'm from Vancouver."

"My brother makes a kick-ass snowman. All you see is the bad but there's good stuff about the cold. And, if you know what you're looking for, you can survive in it. All you gotta do it try, doc. It's only two and a half days. And look at it this way, you have the advantage in the desert course," she said.

"I swear you have some mystical power that turns everyone around you into willing minions," Bones quipped.

She shrugged, "Well, I can't confirm or deny that, Doctor McCoy. Come on. We gotta figure out a watch schedule before we hit the hay."

* * *

"You don't talk about your bother a lot," Hendorff said. Jim gave him a look. "You mentioned him earlier. You don't talk about him much."

"Not much to tell. He hated me for a long time because I 'got George killed', then he didn't. Then Tarsus happened and it's been hard for us to connect ever since. We're rarely in the same place anymore anyway. I mean, I guess I could probably try harder… so could he," she said.

"You can't control what he does. What if something else happens to one of you? Trust me, burying my brother sucked," he told her with a sigh. "There's so much we should've said that we didn't and I have to live with that. If you don't believe anything else I ever tell you, believe me when I say your pride's not worth it."

Gavin's older brother was fleet, an intelligence officer who was killed during a rescue mission two years ago. They were close growing up but, like any relationship that you don't work on, they grew apart. Gregory died before they could put it back together.

"Wow… an intellectual. Who knew?" she said, giving him a nudge with her boot. "I don't even know where to start with him." Jim said as she leaned against the wall of the cave across from Gavin.

"Start with an apology," he told her.

"I didn't do anything wrong," she muttered.

"Maybe you didn't… at least from your point of view. Maybe it's something you didn't even realize. Or maybe he just needs to hear someone say those words to him who won't judge him. Doesn't matter. Just… say something," Cupcake said to her.

"Just like that?" the command cadet asked.

"Aren't you the one always preaching that whole 'never know if you don't try' stuff? Take your own advice, Jimmy," he said.

"I'll try," she shrugged.

"'Try not. Do or do not, there is no try'."

"Star Wars, really?" Jim asked.

"I knew you'd get that one. It's still good advice, even if the person giving it was a tiny green Jedi," he said with a chuckle.

"Yea, well, Empire Strikes Back is the best of the bunch," she said.

"No way. Return of the Jedi is the best," Cupcake laughed. "You know, we're never gonna agree on this."

"Probably. Phantom Menace was horrible," Jim offered.

"Oh, God. Horrible is being nice. Where the hell do we start with that one? What isn't wrong with that movie?" he groaned.

"Even remaking it didn't help. You wanna know about a bad movie? Watch Kelvin's Descent," she told him.

"That unauthorized piece of crap about your dad? No thanks. If I really, really want to know about him, I'll ask your mom."

Jim smiled, "You know what's crazy? She'd probably tell you."


	8. Chapter 8

"Jim, wake up. Jim!" her friend called. She felt his hand on her neck, probably checking to see if she was still alive.

"You know, you're really loud, Cupcake. I'm oka…" she groaned when she realized that, no, she was not okay. Her leg was busted and he head hurt. Jim was gonna have to stabilize what felt like a fractured right tibia before she could even go anywhere. "What happened?"

"Explosion. The idiot engineers downstairs blew a hole in the building," he told her. Jim wanted to laugh, survival training wasn't this bad. "The building's unstable. I think they hit a load bearing wall."

"Figures," Jim muttered as she pulled the knife out of the inside of her left boot. It was technically against regs but Barnett gave her the okay. She cut off her pant leg above the knee.

'Hooray for wearing pants today,' she thought to herself. It wasn't an open fracture, so that was a win too. Jim ran through all the crap Bones taught her about making sure her bones didn't move around as she cut her pant leg into strips and used the cloth to stabilize her leg. The bigger problem was her head, her vision kept going all wonky.

"You have a concussion, don't you?" Cupcake asked.

"Probably," she sighed. He took the knife from her hand.

"I'll do that. Talk. Tell me something interesting," Hendorff ordered calmly.

"So, there was this one time where I went on a training cruise and we were attacked, then I went through a bunch of survival exercises with nothing more than some scratches but then I agreed to help my friend with an assignment at the Academy and the building explodes," Jim said with a chuckle.

"Sorry about that. It could be worse," he offered.

"You mean the worse that comes from going to the ER and listening to my best friend bitch at me about it?" the command cadet asked as Gavin tightened the makeshift bandage around her leg.

"Oh… Shit, McCoy is worse. I'll make it up to you. Name it and it's yours," Gavin said.

"Hmm, I'll have to think of a good one," she said.

"Go for it, Jim. How's that?" he asked.

"It's good. I doubt it'll hold forever though. We need an exit." Jim doesn't know if she got that all out. She kept having to force her eyes open.

"Stay awake," the operations cadet said as he pulled her up onto her good foot. "Put your weight on me and we'll find a way out."

"This is a switch. Usually, I'm the one pulling people out of crappy situations," Jim muttered.

"You gotta let someone else be the hero sometime, short stuff," her friend said as they joined the small group of people in the hallway.

"I'm not short," she grumbled.

"It's blocked off," one of the officers said.

"What do we do, sir?" a cadet asked.

"We find a way out," someone else said.

"No. We wait until the rescue teams pull us out. The building is unstable. If we do anything that causes a shift in the structural integrity, we could bring it down on our heads," Jim mumbled. Her head was killing her.

"What she said," the officer said with a nod. He kept talking but Jim stopped paying attention as everyone found places to sit in the semi-clear hallway.

"Stay awake for me," Gavin said with a nudge.

"Don't want to. You're warm," she muttered against his shoulder. The only reply Jim heard was a chuckle. Then everything went black.

* * *

"That tickles, Bones," Jim said to her friend, his hand on her leg, resetting the orthopedic regenerator.

"Sorry," he said.

"Who are you and what did you do to my grumpy bestie, who's grumpy?" she asked as she watched him work.

"I'll be grumpy later. You scared the crap outta me, kid," the southerner said.

"And that's usually when you're the grumpiest," Jim pointed out. "What gives?"

"Pike told me to be nice. And Hendorff is asleep," he told her. For the first time since she woke up, she looked at the chair next to her and, sure enough, Cupcake was sleeping in the chair, leaning against the wall. He looked way too big for the little chair but she wasn't gonna mess with him… maybe.

"He alright?" she asked.

"Nothing a shower won't fix. He was more worried about your concussion," Bones said. "And beating himself up because you were only in the building to do a favor for him."

"That actually sounds like something Jim would say," Chris said as he walked into the room. He looked like he aged a few years since she saw him the day before.

"You look like shit… sir," Jim told the captain.

"Pot, kettle. How you feeling?" he asked.

"Like a building fell on my head," she quipped.

"Yea… you should see the hole those idiots made in the Tucker Building," Chris said with a sigh. "A group of engineering cadets released the safeties on their warp project and blew something called the EPS."

"The electro-plasma system," Cupcake said with a yawn. "Probably blew the plasma before it got to the conduits."

"Another warp expert?" Chris asked.

"No, sir. Jim taught me that. Would've failed Warp Theory without her," Gavin answered. "How you feeling, short stuff?"

"I'm fine. It might have something to do with the fact that Bones gave me good drugs," she answered. "How much trouble are they in, Chris?"

"You really don't want to know. I haven't seen Richard this pissed in a long time. They didn't hit the fail safe or the alarm. They could've killed every single person in the building. Broken bones and concussions seem to be the worst of it," Pike told the three cadets.

"Well, I got one of each. Yay me," Jim said before she could think any better of it. The three men looked at her with expressions ranging from regret and sadness to fear. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry… my filter's not working right now."

"It's the pain medication," Bones said. "You should get some more rest while that thing fixes your leg. I might be able to let you go home tonight. Though, I'll probably get stuck working late. Maybe Gaila and Uhura can keep an eye on you."

"I'll do it," Cupcake offered.

"Gavin…" she started but he gave her a look she knew all too well. It wasn't up for discussion. She needed someone to stay with her, and since she got hurt helping him, he was gonna do it. "Fine. At least Gary and Hikaru aren't here… I'd be dealing with all of you."

"Just wait. The Ellington will be back in three days," Chris warned. "Winona is scarier than all of us put together and I already told her what happened. You have fun with that."

"Oh crap."

* * *

"Alright, Gavin. You said I could have anything I wanted," she said as she walked into his dorm room. "I'm calling my favor."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?" he asked.

"Nope. I need you to do me a solid and run interference with my mother before I kill her," Jim said.

"What do you want me to do? She's your mother," Cupcake said.

"Yes, and she's fussing over me because I was in the hospital. The first day was fine because I was still on pain meds and I didn't really register that she was hovering but now she keeps popping up when I'm not in class. Invite her to dinner or ask her stuff about the fleet or… I don't know, think of something. She's driving me crazy, Gav. Like 'I'm gonna hurt somebody' crazy," she told him. "I'm surprised that she isn't busting down your door right now."

"She can't be that bad," he said.

"She's making up for being busy for the last almost twenty four years. Please, I just need an hour or two to myself," the command cadet pouted. "You owe me one… and I'll love you forever."

"Don't give me the puppy dog face, it's not fair. How am I supposed to say 'no' to that?" Gavin said when her lip quivered. "I hate you so much right now. I'll do it. Maybe see if Xi will go with me since he's an engineer, he'll have actual questions for her. You're lucky I'm a man of my word."

Jim smiled, "I know. That's why you're awesome."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, short stuff," he told her.

"Liar. Flattery gets me everywhere."


	9. Chapter 9

"This is pretty cool," Gavin whispered from next to her.

They were on a training cruise on the Republic when the ship was diverted to Axanar. The planet has spent the last few centuries in the middle of a bloody interplanetary conflict and it was all about to end in a ceremony of reconciliation. Jim, Gary, Gavin and Delaney were assigned to help with security on the planet's surface, and quickly found themselves in the middle of a knockdown, drag out fight against a group of terrorists who were determined to disrupt the ceremony. Together, through some quick thinking and creative tactics, they managed to stop the terrorists and save the ceremony. Now, they were in the captain's ready room on the Republic getting medals from the Axanarri and promotions to lieutenants.

"Delaney, Patrick R," Captain Bannock called. Their friend stepped forward, the prime minister of Axanar pinned a medal to his chest, then Delaney stepped back into formation. "Hendorff, Gavin P," was next. He repeated the process of stepping up, getting pinned and stepping back. "Kirk, James T," Bannock said. Jim did what her friends did. "Mitchell, Gary T," the Republic's captain said. Gary was the last of their small group to get his medal and promotion.

The prime minister thanked them again for protecting his people and taking his leave, he had a lot of work to do and a new peace to enjoy. Jim never would've thought in a million years at this was how a peace mission would turn out. The Axanarri peace treaty amongst themselves and with the Federation changes the shape of the Federation-Klingon border. And they were part of that.

"At ease," the captain told them. "You all did an outstanding job down there. It's the kind of ingenuity and dedication that Starfleet needs from our young officers. I am proud to say I served with each and every one of you. You're dismissed."

"Dude, we got the Palm Leaf of Axanar Peace Mission medal," Delaney said as the four cadets walked down the corridor.

"Dude, screw the medals, we got promoted," Gary said.

"What say you, oh fearless leader?" Cupcake asked as he dropped his arm over her shoulders.

"We saved a planet yesterday," she said to her friends. Jim got a little teary-eyed, "I think my father would get a kick outta that."

Gary smiled, "Our first drink when we get home will be to your dad. Gone but never forgotten."

"That sounds like a plan, Lieutenant Mitchell," Jim quipped.

"Of course it does, Lieutenant Kirk."

* * *

"This is nice, "Jim said to her friend. The two women were watching Sulu fence.

"It is. I can't believe I'm actually into this," Gaila replied.

"It's the hot people," Jim offered, eyeing the group of men and women sitting a few rows in front of them. Most of them weren't in their gear yet, so they had nice view.

"No. It's a beautiful sport. There's a grace about it that I find appealing. Though, seeing Sulu without his shirt doesn't hurt," the Orion said. The man didn't put on the top half of his gear until the very last minute.

"He's almost painful to look at sometimes. Bones too, if I'm being honest," Jim has seen far more of both men then she ever intended. Bones because he's her roommate and it was just par for the course, Sulu because the man likes to take off his shirt. If Hikaru can get away with walking around topless, he does. Many cadets, Jim and Gaila included, just enjoyed the view.

"You know, I wouldn't mind seeing your roommate in fewer clothes," Gaila said.

"Seriously?" Jim raised an eyebrow. "In what capacity? Cause Bones is..."

"Amazing and way outta my league. It's okay. I can look without touching," her green friend said. Since when does Gaila like Bones?

"That's not what I was gonna say. I was gonna tell you that he's a grump but you know that. Look, Bones' ex did a number on him, so he's very cautious. If you like him... just be careful how to go about it. It's taken two years for me and Pike to get Bones the point where he can be social. As much as I love you, I'd have to hurt to you if you broke his heart."

"I was thinking about asking him out but I can never get the words out," Gaila muttered.

"Just talk to him. He's not as grumpy as he likes people to think. Hell, he's down right sweet when he wants to be. I never thought I'd see the day when you couldn't talk to a guy," Jim said.

"It's just… It's easy to flirt and hook up… the other stuff it is a bit harder," her friend sighed. Jim wrapped an arm around Gaila's shoulders.

"Gaila, you are a wonderful, beautiful, amazing woman. Bones is a lot of things but he's not an idiot. I'm telling you to go for it. It'll work out."

* * *

"You know, you don't have to get dressed up for me," Sam called from his spot on her bed. Jim was going to dinner with him, their mother and Sam's new fiancée, Aurelan.

"You do realize that you have no influence on my attire, whatsoever, Sammy," she called back. You'd never know that they weren't talking to each other months ago with the way the Kirk siblings interacted with each other. Bones was laughing at them the whole time.

"So, what's with the whole getting dressed up thing?" her brother asked.

"She's a girl. You're going out for dinner, which means she has to be put together. We'll never understand it because we're men but it's just one of those things you should get used to. Your fiancée probably does the same thing but you don't really notice," Bones told the other Kirk as someone knocked on the door. "It's open."

"Hey, McCoy. Jim here?" Gavin asked.

"Right here, Cupcake," Jim asked, stepping into the main room. He looked her up and down, checking her out. "That look is why woman get dressed up to go places. What's up, Gav?"

"Uh… sorry. I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out, but you obviously have plans," her tall friend said.

"Yep, family dinner. Gavin Hendorff, meet my big brother, George Samuel Kirk junior," she introduced the two men to each other.

"You took my advice," Hendorff said with a smirk.

"Yes, I did. It was pretty good advice. He came all the way from Deneva to hang out with me… I'm kidding, I get to meet his fiancée today," Jim smiled.

"Oh. You're the guy mom mentioned," Sam said after he shook Cupcake's hand.

"Wait, since when does mom talk about my friends?" she asked.

"I don't know. Ask her yourself," her brother shrugged. "You should come with us, Gavin. Leonard over here was supposed to come along but he has a date, apparently."

"I can't just drop in on your family dinner," Gavin told the older Kirk.

"It's not that big of a thing. And we already have the extra seat," Sam said. Cupcake gave her a look.

"Up to you. Though, I think Sam just needs another guy at the table. He's outnumbered three to one," Jim said.

"You sure?" Hendorff asked and both Kirk siblings nodded. "Gimme a few minutes to change."

"I'm sure Jim knows were your dorm is. We'll meet you over there in ten," Sam told the tall cadet.

"Maybe me and Gaila should go too. This I gotta see," Bones said as soon as Cupcake was gone.

"I hate you both," Jim muttered.

"No you don't." She looked at the two men who spoke in unison. Bones and Sam teaming up on her was not good.

* * *

"Don't you dare team up on them," Aurelan told the others at the table. How is it that the one person at the table she didn't know was the one standing up for her?

Winona said it was okay for her friends to join their dinner and Jim was wishing she hadn't. Bones and Gaila wouldn't stop teasing her or making 'observations' about her friendship with Cupcake. The two blue eyed cadets just looked at each other, mentally willing their friends to stop. Then her mother got into the conversations with her –and Scotty's- observations. After a while, Jim couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, that's enough," she said. The whole table looked at her. "Find something else to talk about."

"We didn't mean anything by it, Jimmy," her mother said.

"I don't care, just switch topics," Jim told them.

"Touchy, much," Sam muttered.

"A bit," she told him.

Dating at the Academy was not really an option for Jim. She could never be sure if it was about her or about her family. It didn't help that most people assumed she was sleeping with everyone she interacted with and that only added the question of whether or not they were just trying to get laid. The last problem, and this one affected Cupcake, Sulu and anyone else she had even the slightest attraction too, she didn't want her infamy to fall on them. It was hard enough catching crap for being a Kirk, she couldn't imagine letting someone else catch crap because she was their girlfriend. The only reason nobody bothers Bones is because he doesn't care and doctors are the last people you want to piss off. Overall, it was a bit lonely, which was why she surrounded herself with friends.

"She doesn't date," Bones said. "But you wouldn't know that according to the rumors."

"Yea… the latest gem is that I'm having Chris' baby," Jim told them.

"Really? That's just wrong," Cupcake said, giving her hand a squeeze under the table.

"That is worse than the orgy we had with Nyota," Gaila added.

"Or the one I had with Thanas and his friends," Jim offered.

"You hate that guy. Where the hell did that come from?" Bones asked.

"No idea," Jim answered.

"We need to prank him again," Gavin said with a smile. Jim chuckled and nodded.

"I knew that whole gelatin thing was you guys," Gaila exclaimed.

"This I gotta hear," Aurelan said. Jim and Cupcake told Sam's future wife the story about the floor of gelatin. They also told her about some of the other stuff that they, Delaney, Prescott and Xi have gotten up to. "That is so cool. What else you guys got?"

Jim, Gavin, Bones and Gaila all looked at each other with smirks and smiles before they started telling Sam and Aurelan about their Academy adventures. So, maybe dinner with the fam wasn't so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Republic's training cruise and mission to Axanar with Mitchell, and the promotions and medals, is part of both Kirk's backstories. It's not mentioned in the reboot but Jim's rank on the screen when Chekov beams him up is lieutenant.


	10. Chapter 10

Jim didn’t particularly like planetary surveys. Since she was on the bridge of the Farragut instead of bored outta her mind like the majority of her last training cruise on this ship, she let it go. It was pretty cool to be requested by Captain Garrovick to serve as his Alpha shift tactical officer, even if she had to deal with Drake. The man was so annoying, always trying to flirt with her. Luckily, Cupcake was on this tour too and when he realized that Drake got on her nerves, he would go all protective whenever the helmsman would get near her. It was a bit funny.

After this tour, Jim would have six months left at the Academy and she was ready. Pike had her teaching Federation History to the first year cadets during her last semester because she didn’t have anything else to do, she had all her regular and post-grad credits. Jim would’ve preferred another training cruise but there wasn’t any room on the next one for her, Chris checked. All she really had left was the pesky Kobayashi Maru test.

Jim had a few ideas to beat the damn thing and Chris was encouraging her to go for it. She didn’t want to beat it to show off or even prove she could, she had to beat it because it was a stupid test that teaches the wrong thing. Where’s the lesson in something you have no way of passing? How do you teach someone to lead in that situation? The Kelvin and Tarsus were both real-life Kobayashi Maru tests and she survived both, one because her father died to save his crew, the other because she was willing to die to save the other colonists. This whole 'no-win' crap didn't work for her.

Jim let her thoughts drop as something weird crossed the navigation console. She intently watched for it to show up again.

“Kirk, you alright?” Drake asked.

“I saw something. I’m gonna run a scan, can you do the same?” Jim said to the other officer. Together, their hands flew over their consoles.

“What is that?” he asked, leaning closer. “Sir, we got something… odd on the sensors.”

“Define ‘odd’,” Garrovick ordered. They didn’t get a chance when alarms all over the bridge went off. “Put it on screen. Kirk, Drake, return fire.” Jim did as she was ordered but the thing kept coming.

“No damage, sir,” she told the Captain. They were rapidly losing this fight.

“Get us out of here,” Garrovick ordered as the shields dropped and the creature attacked again.

“Jim,” Drake whispered as he hit the deck next to her.

“Andy… Andy, stay awake,” she said to the annoying man who never stopped talking.

Jim leaned over and transferred the controls from Drake’s station to hers, manning tactical/navigation and helm at the same time. She checked his pulse but she knew he was gone. What the hell was this thing? Jim was doing her best to get them out of here while still attempting to take the creature down somehow.

“Kirk,” Garrovick whispered. “You have the con.” She didn’t have the time to chance a glance at the captain but the science officer that moved to check him over called it. Garrovick was dead. He wasn’t the only one, life signs were dropping all over the place.

Jim laid in a course to Starbase sixteen, since it was closest but it was gonna them a little over a day to get there. She had no idea where Commander Chenowyth, the ship’s first officer, was or if he was even alive. For right now, Jim was the commanding officer of the ship.

* * *

“Seriously!” Jim yelled as she shot at these pod things on the ship.

Twenty hours after being handed the con, she was able to turn it over when Chenowyth finally made his way to the bridge. Jim filled him in and began working on getting the ship back to some state of functioning just in time for them to be attacked again. Jim was in engineering trying to fix the ship’s navigational sensors when the aliens of unknown origin, unlike anything she’s ever seen before, entered the ship's secondary hull in these passenger-carrying pod projectile things, killing many of the remaining crew.

“Go, go, go,” one of the officers called to the last of the crew members in engineering. In order to save the remaining half of the crew, Chenowyth ordered a separation of the uninfested primary hull from the secondary hull. The officers on the bridge tried to do it remotely but too many systems were down. Jim volunteered to do it manually.

“Where are you going, Jim?” Hendorff asked as she sprinted through engineering. She gave him the rundown as fast as she could. “What do we need to do?” Jim’s first instinct was to argue with him but she realized that she was probably gonna need his help.

“There are four explosive bolts that keep the two halves of the ship together. We have to set them off manually,” she told her friend. “I already triggered two. There’s two more, one on each side. I’ll take port. You got starboard. Once they blow, we gotta get to the escape pods before the bridge blows this half of the ship.”

The pair ran off in their opposite directions. She didn’t know what was harder, setting off the explosions or fighting these _things_. Thanks to the evac order, it was literally her, Hendorff and the four security officers who decided to stay and back them up. She set off her explosion and she knew the second Gavin did the same because she felt the engineering section of the ship shudder as it separated from the other half of the ship. Jim ran back to the escape pod, looking for Cupcake on the way.

“Gavin,” she spotted him leaning against a large pipe, pale and bleeding.

“Go,” he told her. Jim shook her head, slid his arm over her shoulders and pulled him along with her. “I’m just slowing you down, Jim.”

“I’m not leaving you here to die. Deal with it, Cupcake,” Jim said as she pulled him along to the escape pod. She waited until the last second before she realized that it was just them and hit the control to jettison. They weren’t that far away from the damaged section of the ship when the saucer section fired it’s weapons at the drive section of the ship. The explosion of the dilithium in the warp core gave the whole thing a bright blue hue. Any other time, it would've been beautiful. 

“Escape pod ninety-one to the Farragut, come in,” Jim spoke into the communications system. She wasn’t getting a response. “Shit. They can’t hear us.”

“Too bad Uhura’s not here,” he offered weakly.

“No kidding. How bad is that?” she asked as she moved to pull his red and black shirts out of the way. Jim sucked in a breath at the injury. Projectile wounds are a bitch. She was gonna have to make sure there was nothing in there before she patched him up. First thing she had to do was get them somewhere safe. There was a watchtower station construction site nearby. That would have to do. “Hang tight for me, Gav.”

“Not going anywhere, Jimmy.”

* * *

“Where’d you learn to do old school bandages?” Gavin asked when he finally woke up.

“Bones. I pay attention to my awesome friends. You learn a lot that way. Good news, we’re relatively safe. Bad news, there’s no way we’re gonna get anywhere near a starbase in that pod. I’m sending out comms but we’re too close to the Romulan neutral zone for me to be specific. We might be here until the transport shows up,” Jim told her friend.

“Glad to see one of us can keep busy,” he said with a chuckle.

“I just hope they don’t think we’re dead,” she muttered.

“Between Pike, Barnett and your mother, I doubt we’ll be here long,” Gavin said, giving her hand a squeeze.

“It could be worse,” she offered.

“Yea, McCoy could be here,” the tall cadet said. “Instead, you’re stuck with me.”

“Depends on how you define stuck.”


	11. Chapter 11

“How do they build these things without people?” Gavin asked, looking at the schematics to the watchtower station. For the first day, they stayed near the escape pod. Once Gavin had enough strength to move, they decided to explore. That was nearly two days ago.

“They don’t. The fact that we haven’t seen anyone since we got here has been bothering me. I hacked the logs but other than some worry about the neutral zone, there’s no clue about why this place is abandoned... at least none that I have access to. Mom or Gaila would already be in the system,” she said with a sigh.

“Don’t doubt your mad skills. I can’t hack anything, so you got me beat. What did you find?” he asked.

“Well, the automated parts of the construction are still working. This is the only section with power, oxygen, food _and_ water. The shuttle bay is empty,” Jim told him. “So, we can’t go anywhere. Something very… odd happened here. I haven’t seen a mass exodus in a decade.”

“Tarsus?” he asked. Jim nodded. “Whatever sent the construction crew running doesn’t sound like something we want to meet,” Gavin muttered.

He was right about that. They found their way to the mostly completed crew quarters and decided to base themselves in what they figured out was the project manager’s room. Jim was using the console in the room to figure out what the hell they were missing. And if they could somehow figure out how to get out of here.

“It’s always something. I’m starting to think I made a mistake,” she muttered. When he raised an eyebrow, she sighed. “Joining Starfleet.”

“Even with us hole up here, you do realize that you saved the ship,” he told her.

“After half the crew, including the captain, died,” Jim said. A few people they both knew died but she wasn’t going there. For a long moment he just looked at her, probably reading her expression like no one else –save Chris and Bones- has ever managed to do.

“That’s not your fault. You think that wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t there?” Hendorff asked. She was right, he was reading her mind. “Hell, the whole ship would be gone if it wasn’t for you. Axanar… that was all you. Me, Prescott and Mitchell just backed you up and followed your orders. I ain’t even gonna get into Tarsus. You’re a hero, Jim,” Gavin said.

“I… That’s really how you see me?” she asked.

“Of course, it’s the truth,” Gavin said. “I wish you could see what the rest of us see.”

“What do you see?” Jim asked. Her curiosity getting the better of her.

“You’re amazing. You make everyone around you want to be better so that we’re operating on your level. You make me want to be better so…” he stopped himself.

“So what?” she asked her friend.

Jim could feel the tension in the room but she couldn’t make herself back away. On the one hand, she knew there was something between the two of them. She was not nearly as blind to it as their friends think she is. On the other hand, she didn’t know what to do with about it. It was easier to pretend that nothing was going on but Jim knew that could only last so long. She was both hopeful about and dreading what he was going to say.

“I…” Gavin started just as the alarm went off. Jim turned back to the screen. The handful of operational sensors showed her why the construction team left the site in a hurry.

“Romulans. Bird of Prey, if I'm reading the configuration right. That explains why the place is empty,” she told him. Her hands flew over the console, she was trying to figure out if they could see what was going on, especially when they were being fired on. “Seriously!”

“Is that your new thing? Seriously?” Cupcake asked her.

“No. It’s my brother’s thing, I’m borrowing it,” the blonde told her friend. “The imagers haven’t been installed. We have no eyes. And their sensors are only telling me so much.” She smiled, "Federation ship just dropped outta warp."

Gavin opened his mouth to say something when the familiar swirl of the transporter surrounded them. One second, they were on the empty station and the next, they were on a Starfleet vessel surrounded by a group officers. The security team that met them lowered their weapons as soon as they realized that Jim and Gavin were human.

“I’m Lieutenant Commander Rodis, chief of security on the USS Kongo,” the man introduced himself.

“Lieutenants Kirk and Hendorff, sir. Farragut,” Jim told him.

“I know. As soon as they got to Starbase sixteen, Commander Chenowyth demanded that the commodore send someone out here. Good thing too, the Romulans keep popping up, that's why the station was empty. The commander said you saved the ship,” Rodis told them.

“It was a team effort, sir,” Jim said with a sigh. She wanted to cry and jump for joy at the same time. Chenowyth got the rest of the crew to safety. The officer nodded and ordered some of his men to escort them to medical.

“We made it,” Gavin whispered.

“Yea we did.”

* * *

Being ordered to sleep and actually sleeping were two different things. Jim couldn’t turn her brain off. Doctor Piper didn’t have a reason to keep her in sickbay but he told her to rest. She was assigned quarters, took a long shower, had a quick meal and got the chance to talk to her mom, Chris and Bones. Now, she was staring at the familiar, yet unfamiliar, ceiling. She knew what her problem was… even if she didn’t want to admit it.

“Enter,” she said when the buzzer to the door went off. Hooray for solo quarters.

“Hanging out in the dark, Jim?” Hendorff asked her.

“Trying and failing to sleep, Cupcake. You okay?” Jim asked.

“Peachy. Doc said you should consider medic training. You did a good job patching me up, it won’t even scar,” he told her as he sat on the end of the bed.

“I’ll add it to my to-do list,” she told him. Jim looked at him in the dark, “You can’t sleep either, huh?”

“Never been through something like that,” Gavin whispered. “I thought we were goners for a little while there.”

“Not me. I don’t believe in no-win scenarios,” Jim said. “There’s always an option. You may not like the one you get, but you always have one.”

“Does that apply to everything?” he asked.

“It can,” she answered.

“Good to know. You should get some rest,” the tall officer told her.

“So should you,” Jim yawned. “You can stay… if you want.”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Would I say something if I wasn’t sure?”

“Nope. Scoot over.”

* * *

Jim attempted to stretch out and remembered that she was not alone in the bed. Gavin’s arm was tight around her waist, holding her against his chest. Jim didn’t know what to do. It felt good to be held like this and the fact that Gavin was the person holding her only made it better. She shifted a little to look at him.

“Go back to sleep, Jim,” he muttered against her shoulder, his arm pulling her closer.

“We have to…” she started.

“Do nothing. Even if we were on the duty roster, Doctor Piper ordered us to rest. We’ll be on Starbase sixteen before we’ll be back on full duty. Now go back to sleep,” he told her, snuggling closer.

‘Oh God,’ she thought to herself. Why does he smell so good? A mix of regulation soap and him. This was not good. Why the hell did she tell him to stay? ‘Because you wanted him to and it was the only way either of you would sleep,’ her brain reminded her.

“Stop thinking and go to sleep, Jim,” Gavin muttered against her neck. His breath against her skin was not helping. “Want me to go?”

“No,” she said it faster than she probably should’ve. “Stay. I’m just…”

“Overthinking. It’s cute and very you but you need to sleep. You’ve been awake for days, other than the two hours you just got. Sleep now and fret over cuddling with me later, okay?”

“I hate you,” she muttered.

“Do you realize you say that to everybody you love?” Cupcake asked.

“I…” Jim was about to deny but thinking about it, he was right. She says to Bones, Sam and Chris all the time. “I guess I do.”


	12. Chapter 12

"Oh, shit," Cupcake muttered.

"What?" Jim asked as they hopped off the shuttle in San Francisco. They –and the other surviving cadets- were three weeks late but they made it home.

"I just spotted your mother," he told her. "She's headed this way… fast."

"Comma…" Before Jim could even finish one word, Winona practically slammed into her. The women didn't give a shit that most of the people around them were watching. Jim just melted into her mother's arms.

"I'm okay, mom," she muttered against the other woman's shoulder. Winona leaned back just enough to look Jim over. "I'm fine, I promise."

"James Teresa Kirk, don't you ever scare me like that again," her mother said. Jim could feel her tremble.

"Wasn't my idea, mom, trust me," Jim said with a chuckle. She wiped the tears off her mother's face before anyone could hold them against her later.

"Gavin Parker Hendorff, get your ass over here," Winona ordered. She was definitely in mother mode if she was calling them by their full names.

"Ma'am," he said as the woman let Jim go and hugged him.

"Are you okay?" the commander asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Jim took good care of me," Gavin said with a smile.

"She tends to do that. Your mother is on her way here," Winona warned.

"Understood, ma'am," he said. The tall cadet glanced at Jim with wide eyes. If this was her mother's reaction, Gavin's mother was gonna be a whole lot more interesting, especially since she already lost one child in action.

"You two did an amazing job," the older Kirk told them. "I hear a medal is in the works."

"Another one?" they both asked at the same time. That would make two in just over a year, which was uncommon for a pair of cadets.

"Yep. Chenowyth's report said, and I quote, 'Lieutenant Kirk and Lieutenant Hendorff are fine young officers who performed with uncommon bravery. They ensured the safety of their ship and crew without regard for their own well-being and are directly responsible for saving the lives of everyone that survived the attacks on the Farragut. It is my recommendation they be awarded medals for valor and Kirk promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander upon her graduation from the Academy.' He's very impressed with both of you. I don't know if the promotion will happen but the medals are almost a sure thing," her mother said.

"You memorized the report?" Jim asked. She wasn't surprised that her mom read the report, Chris had access and probably gave it to the engineer. She was just surprised that Winona memorized it.

"Of course I did. My baby girl's a hero," Winona said.

"See, I told you," Gavin muttered. Jim just rolled her eyes at him, she didn't want to admit he was right.

"I did what I had to do. The rest is details," she said.

Winona smiled, "That sounds like something your father used to say. 'If you're doing what's necessary, the details aren't important.' I always liked that one. He would be very proud of you, just like I am."

"Come on, mom. Don't make me cry," Jim muttered.

"You made me cry, it's only fair, sweetie. Oh, and heads up, you made Chris cry too," her mother told her.

"He's gonna hug me, then he's gonna kill me."

* * *

"I can't breathe, guys," Jim muttered, this was more than she expected from her and Gavin's friends. And she thought her reunion with Chris was gonna be bad. The man hugged her, checked her over, said she did a good job and threatened to wring her neck if she scared him like that again.

"Don't care," Gaila said. Jim was the middle of a grumpy doctor, sexy Orion, hot linguist and badass pilots sandwich. She had a feeling that her friends were never gonna let her out of their sight again.

"I'm fine. I didn't even get hurt this time," she told Bones, Gaila, Hikaru, Nyota and Gary.

Jim glanced over at Cupcake but he wasn't having much luck either. Xi, Delaney and Prescott had him in a group hug of their own. When their friends finally let them go, Jim thought she could breathe but she should've known better. The two groups switched. They all weren't as close as Jim and Bones or Gavin and Xi but they were all still worried about the two 'idiots who almost got themselves killed' according to Bones and 'made us cry when we found out' according to Gaila.

"Heard you kicked ass, superstar," Xi whispered against her shoulder.

"I didn't do anything special," she told him. "Those things pissed me off so I killed them, simple."

"Maybe to you. Gav's my best friend, thank you for saving him," the young engineer said.

"He saved me first, Biao," Jim told their brilliant friend.

She glanced over at Gavin, who was listening to Gaila fuss at him like his mother did. The command cadet took a deep breath as it suddenly hit her how right that statement was. 'Dammit,' she thought to herself, 'I'm so screwed.'

* * *

Jim got quite the surprise when she read the roster for her Fed History class. Kevin Riley. One of the kids she saved on Tarsus Four eleven years ago. She shouldn't have been that surprised, the kid swore he'd join up one day. His scores were off the damn charts and he was signed up to study navigation, with a minor focus in engineering.

"I thought it was just a coincidence when I saw your name as one of my instructors. You said you didn't want to join the fleet," the kid said as he walked into the lecture hall early for the first day of classes for the plebes.

"Changed my mind in '54 and joined up in '55. Long time no see, Kev," she said as she gave him a quick hug.

"Eleven years, seven months and some change. You look good, _Lieutenant Commander_ Kirk. That's weird," he said.

"It's new and I'm technically still a cadet. It'll take some getting used to. Luckily, I'm not the first person to get promoted that high while in the Academy," Jim told him.

Her mom was right, she and Cupcake both got medals and Jim got a promotion in light of her serving as the acting commanding and first officer of a ship in the middle of an emergency. With everything that happened, she kinda forgot that part.

"Who'd you save?" Kevin asked. Jim gave him a look and he chuckled. "We were five and twelve when we met, it's not that hard to figure out. Saving people is your thing. Always has been."

"A ship and half it's crew," she muttered.

"Sounds like you. Any advice for this class?" he asked.

"I'll give you a pass on the Tarsus stuff… I advise skipping over it," Jim told her young friend. "I already have a recommendation for them to change the material because it's wrong as hell but I doubt it'll happen this semester. I sat through ten minutes of it before I bolted. Barnett knew what was up, so I didn't get into trouble. I'll warn you before we get to it."

"Works for me," Kevin muttered just as other cadets entered the room. Jim watched the cadets and glanced at the time.

"Hello, all," she said when it was time to get started and they were all settled. "I'm Jim Kirk, your instructor for Federation History one-oh-one. I'm gonna start with the giant elephant in the room… Yes, I am that James Kirk, the Kelvin Baby. No, I do not like talking about it. I was two minutes old when the ship was destroyed and I only know a tiny bit more than this class covers about that day. I can't answer questions about the other Lieutenant Commander Kirk, I never met him, so don't bother asking." She paused to let it sink in before she smiled. "Alright, now that that's out of the way, we're gonna start with Jonathan Archer and the founding of the Federation…"

* * *

Jim couldn't sleep. She tried everything she could think of except let Bones sedate her. The blonde knew what the problem was, even if she couldn't –wouldn't- admit it to herself. Jim glanced at Bones and Gaila sound asleep on the doctor's bed and decided that there was no way she was gonna wake him up to hypo her. She pulled her Cochrane Institute of Alpha Centauri hoodie on over her tank top and leggings, slid on a pair of flip flops and went for a walk.

She didn't pay attention to where she was going until she ended up in the last place she should be, standing outside Cupcake's dorm. Against her better judgement, Jim knocked on the door. Less than a minute later, a very shirtless Gavin opened it.

"Oh, that's just not fair," Jim sighed.

"Hey, it's my dorm. If you want to even it up, you can go shirtless too. I won't mind," he said. Jim rolled her eyes.

"You gonna let me in or what?" she asked.

"Come on in, Jimmy," Gavin said as she stepped into the dark room. "Guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep." She shrugged as she kicked off her flip flops and tossed her hoodie over Gavin's desk chair before flopping down on his bed.

"Move over. I'm not sleeping in Xi's bed," the tall cadet told her.

"Where is Xi, it's like two in the morning?" the blonde asked quietly.

"With some girl he met. He may not act like it around you but the kid's got game," Gavin said with a chuckle.

"What's so special about me that I can't see his game?" Jim muttered.

"Plenty," he whispered. She knew he didn't intend for her to hear that but she couldn't resist the obvious bait.

"Uh huh. I think it has more to do with you than me," she told him.

"What makes you say that?" Gavin asked as he lay on the bed next to her, looking up at the ceiling.

"Dumb doesn't look good on you, Cupcake," Jim said, resting her head on her hands so she could look at him. "What's that thing you boys always say? 'Bros before hoes.' If I had to guess, Xi doesn't flirt with me because he doesn't want to piss you off."

"Why would that piss me off?" he asked her.

"You know why," she told him.

"I do. Do you?" Gavin countered.

"I do." Jim took a deep breath and looked at him, "How long have you been in love with me?"

"A while," he answered, turning to look at her. "How long have you loved me back?"

"A while," she whispered honestly. "Now what do we do?"

"Right now, we're gonna get some sleep. We'll figure the rest out later. Okay?"

"Okay."


	13. Chapter 13

'Later' was a pretty elusive thing when you're in you're in your last year at Starfleet Academy. Between the classes she was teaching, the hours she was logging at Tactical Command, the work she was putting in on the Enterprise, her mother leaving again, the prep for her –now third- Kobayashi Maru and all the stuff Gavin had to do for his last classes and credits, they barely had the time to have lunch together, let alone anything else. The pair of them took to crashing in his dorm or hers just to see each other.

She expected Bones to give her crap about the whole thing but he just chuckled, told her it was 'about damn time' and let it go. Gaila wanted details. Sadly, Jim didn't really have any to give her friend. So imagine Jim's surprise when she was ordered by Gaila to put on something nice but functional.

"I have stuff to do," Jim said.

"You have an almost boyfriend to go out with," the Orion told her.

"In case you haven't noticed, we've both been a tad bit busy. We can go out when we graduate," she told her green friend. Which reminded Jim to ask Gavin if he wanted to go to Sam's wedding with her, Sam and Aurelan planned to do it before the Enterprise –and Jim- was scheduled to go on a shakedown run.

"Oh, sweetie. You're so adorable. I've been waiting for you two to get it together for almost three years. If you think I'm just gonna sit by and watch this… limbo guys fell into, you're nuts. I already talked to Hendorff. Get dressed, he's gonna be here in twenty," Gaila told her.

"She's bossy," Jim said to Bones.

"You just now figured that out," her best friend said with a smile.

She rolled her eyes at her friends, they were so cute it was annoying. Gaila was just the right amount of sweet and feisty to contend with Bones' cantankerous attitude and Bones was just the right amount of level-headed, dependable and –mostly- stable to handle the former slave's bubbly free spirit. They were perfect for each other.

"Fine. I'll grade these later. Do you know where we're going?" she asked.

Gaila smiled, "Of course I do, this _was_ my idea. Come on, I'll help you pick something out."

* * *

"You suck at this game," Jim said with a laugh.

"It's not my fault my center of gravity is higher than yours," he pouted.

"Oh, you poor thing. 'I'm Gavin Hendorff and I'm so tall and handsome that I can't bowl.' Boo hoo," she teased.

"I do not sound like that. How'd you get so good at bowling anyway?" Cupcake asked.

"Sam taught me. There are usually bowling allies on bigger ships," Jim said with a shrug before taking her turn. She hit nine out of ten pins. "Man, it's always that seven pin."

"No way, bowing allies on ships?" Gavin said. Jim waited the handful of seconds it took for her to roll and get the spare before she looked at him.

"Yea. The Farragut had one in the secondary hull. The new Enterprise does too. The Ellington doesn't, it's one of two ships my mom served on since I was a kid that didn't have bowling allies and rec rooms and dojos and other stuff but that's because it's a smaller ship. They build the bigger ones to go out for years at a time, it's only _logical_ to have a way for the crew to blow off steam," she said.

"Seems like a waste of room," he muttered as he took his turn.

"Not really. Everything a ship needs is accounted for first, usually in the saucer section with some exceptions. Then recreation stuff is put in for the crew wherever there's space left over. They also aren't this big," Jim told him, looking around the bowling ally they were in.

"I guess that makes sense. What am I doing wrong, Jimmy?" Gavin asked after bowling a four.

"You're too fast on your approach and delivery. You keep making a rush to the foul line, which leaves you off balance and inconsistent," she sighed. "I'm slower than you on purpose. Bowling's not about speed to generate power, it's about technique and angles."

"So slow down?" he asked.

"Yep, your delivery should straighten out when you do," the blonde said. Gavin did what she told him, and sure enough, it worked. "See."

"I got the spare. I got the spare," Cupcake happily sing-songed. Jim couldn't help but laugh.

"You're such a goofball," she smiled.

"I'm a goofball and you like it," he sang some more. She laughed harder, so he kept going. "That's why you're smiling, cause you love it. You think I'm awesome, you called me handsome."

"I wish I was recording this," Jim laughed.

"Nope. That was just for you… and the handful of people looking at me," Gavin said as he looked around.

"Are you trying to distract me so you can win?" she asked.

"Maybe… is it working?" he asked with a smile.

"Maybe a little."

* * *

"Whatcha thinking about over there?" he asked as they walked to Nimitz Hall.

"I don't think I've laughed that much… ever," Jim said.

"I aim to please, Miss Kirk," Gavin smiled. "Home, sweet home." They were standing outside her building.

"Wanna walk around the block?" she offered, trying to make their date last a tiny bit longer.

"I would but we both need to get some sleep… which will be hard enough considering that we usually sleep in the same bed these days," he said before he reached up, brushing her growing bangs out of her eyes and held her face in his hands.

"Don't want you to go," Jim whispered.

"Me neither, but my father raised me right, so…" Gavin told her.

"I can't really argue with that," she said.

"Oh, for the love of all that's holy… Kiss her," Gaila called from somewhere behind Jim.

"She's bossy," he muttered.

"That's what I said," Jim chuckled.

She looked up at Gavin, words caught in her throat at the look in those insanely blue eyes of his. He stepped as close to her as he could and brought his face a few centimeters from hers, their noses brushing against each other. Jim realized that he wasn't going to kiss her, Gavin set up the play and passed her the ball. Whatever happened would be on her.

Jim could feel her heart beating in her chest as she closed the small gap and pressed her lips against his.

Gavin's lips were warm and surprisingly soft as they moved against hers. Jim felt like she was drowning and he was breathing life into her. Her fingers tightened in the sides of his jacket as he held her there, captive by the intensity of it. She's been kissed before but this was something she simply had no words for.

"Finally!" Gaila exclaimed. Jim could hear Bones say something but she couldn't make out what it was.

"Oh my God," she whispered when they finally pulled away, her forehead pressed against his.

"Should've done that a long time ago," he muttered.

"No kidding," Jim sighed.

"I should go," Gavin whispered. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You better. I take my final stab at the Kobayashi Maru and you have to be there when I kick that thing's ass," she said with a chuckle. He kissed her nose.

"Then I'll be there."

* * *

"Gaila in your room?" Ny asked when she stepped into her and Gaila's dorm to find Jim on the Orion's bed, PADD in hand.

"Yep. I think Bones is keeping her occupied so that she doesn't interrogate me about my date with Cupcake. I refuse to witness whatever they're doin' downstairs," Jim said with a shrug.

"Who knew doc had it in him, right? How was your date?" the linguist asked.

"It's was good. It was really good. I had fun," Jim smiled. "How was your night?"

"Weird," Nyota said as she sat down on her bed. "I was tracking solar systems and I picked up an emergency transmission from a Klingon prison planet."

"Really?" Jim moved to the edge of Gaila's bed so she was face to face with Uhura.

"Yeah. A Klingon armada was destroyed. Forty-seven ships," the other woman told her.

"Any idea on who?" the tactician asked.

"That's the weird part, it was one Romulan ship," Nyota said with a sigh. "I reported it but I doubt anyone will follow up."

"Give me the report number and I'll pass it to Pike," Jim said after thinking about it. She had this feeling in her chest that something about it was off.

"You think it's something," Uhura said. It wasn't a question.

"Yea. I think it's something."


	14. Chapter 14

"We're receiving a distress signal from the USS Kobayashi Maru. The ship has lost power and is stranded. Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them, Captain," Uhura told her.

"Two Klingon vessels have entered the neutral zone and are locking weapons on us," Bones said. "Three more Klingon ships decloaking and targeting our ship."

"They're preparing to fire on us, Captain," Gavin added.

"Alert medical to prepare to receive all crew members from the damaged ship," Jim ordered.

"How do you expect us to rescue them when we're surrounded by Klingons, Captain," Nyota asked.

"Just… alert medical," the command cadet told her friend. Uhura shrugged and turned back to her console.

"We're taking fire," Bones said. "Shields at eighty percent."

"Hendorff, remember that thing?" she asked.

"You mean that thing on the Republic?" he looked at her. Jim nodded. "We're gonna do the thing?"

She smiled, "We're gonna do the thing?"

"Do I want to know what the thing is?" her best friend asked her… boyfriend?

"It's a tactical maneuver that we don't have time to explain. Jim and Mitchell had to give me a crash course. The long and short of it, it's a diversion," Gavin said as his hands flew over the console. The maneuver worked better in a smaller vessel but this would have to do.

Bones sighed, "Shields at sixty-five percent."

"Got it," Jim said.

"Well should we, I don't know, fire back?" the grump asked her.

"Not yet," Jim told him. "Gavin?"

"I need another four seconds," he told her. Jim counted down in her head and when she got to one he nodded and the power flickered.

"Bones, return fire," she ordered.

"Jim, their shields are still up," Bones said.

"Are they?" she asked.

"No," the doctor said. "They're not."

"Fire at will on all enemy ships," Jim ordered.

"Target locked and acquired on all enemy vessels," Gavin said with a smirk. "Firing at will." Jim watched at the Klingon ships were destroyed. "All ships are down, Captain."

"Begin rescue of the stranded crew," she said with a smile.

"How the hell did you do that?" Bones asked.

"My lips are sealed."

* * *

"This session has been called to resolve a troubling matter. James T. Kirk, step forward," Barnett said. Jim stood up and walked to the front of the room. "Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council, suggesting that you violated the ethical code of conduct pursuant to regulation one-seven point three of the Starfleet Code of Conduct. Is there anything you care to say before we begin?"

What the actual fuck? A cheater. That was a fancy way of calling her a cheater. Jim may push the regs but she would never outright break them. She knew it had to do with that damn test. It was like the gift that keeps on giving.

"Yes, sir. I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly," she told the admiral. Usually, she can read his expressions but right now, Chris' best friend was blank to her.

"Step forward, please," he said to someone behind her. Jim looked at the tall Vulcan. She recognized him as the guy Nyota spent a lot of time with. "This is Lieutenant Commander Spock. He's one of our most distinguished graduates. He's programmed the Kobayashi Maru exam for the last four years. Commander?"

"Cadet Kirk, you somehow managed to install and activate a subroutine to the programming code, thereby changing the conditions of the test," Spock said.

"That's not against the regulations. I would know, I memorized them. I think you just don't like that I beat your test. Which is a cheat in itself," she pointed out.

"Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario," the programmer said.

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios… I am one," Jim said. She earned a bunch of quiet chuckles from behind her.

"Then you failed to understand the principle lesson," Spock said.

"Please, enlighten me," she told him. This she had to hear.

"You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk. A Captain cannot cheat death," the Vulcan told her.

"Oh… is this the part where you talk about dead dad?" Jim asked. "Completely inappropriate for the situation at hand but I'll bite. My father, Lieutenant Commander George Samuel Kirk senior, was the captain of the USS Kelvin for twelve minutes. He saved eight hundred and thirty-seven lives including my mother's… and mine. Then he was killed in action, everyone assumes that because he died, he lost. The truth is that my father won. His crew walked away. His wife walked away. His children walked away. The man that George Kirk was wouldn't have had any other way. What everyone fails to understand as you throw his death in my face is that he gave his life so that I could live mine. I'm my father's Kobayashi Maru."

Silence.

Jim doesn't talk about her father to anyone but a handful of people and she was sure that most of them never thought about it from her point of view. Yes, her father was gone but he gave his life for her and her mother and their shipmates. Men and women, her and Winona included, who went on to do a great many things in the last twenty-five years.

"You also failed to divine the purpose of the test," Spock said, breaking the silence. Seriously?

"Please, enlighten me again," she said.

"The purpose is to experience fear. Fear in the face of certain death. To accept that fear, and maintain control of oneself and one's crew. This is a quality expected in every Starfleet captain," he said.

"Six months ago I was on a ship that was attacked twice in twenty-four hours, twenty-one of which, I had the con. The captain gave it to me with his last breath while I manned two stations because the officer next to me was dead. That's fear. Your test… it's an illusion," she told the room. "It's an insult to Captain Stephen Garrovick, Commander Kelly Bogle, Ensign Androvar Drake, Ensign Faith Morgan, Engineer Diane Morwood, Doctor Akanke, Cadet Victoria Leigh, Lieutenant Tred Kegin and two hundred more brave men and woman on the USS Farragut that didn't come home from that training cruise. I watched my shipmates die around me, all of us fighting to get as many members of the crew as we could to safety. There are no words for the feeling of watching an officer toss himself at hostile creatures so that those around him had a chance to escape. Or praying to a God you don't believe in that the officer in the escape pod next to you, your friend, doesn't bleed to death before you can help him. That is fear and your test isn't even close."

Judging by the looks on the admirals' faces, she made her point. The man and women of the board talked among themselves for a moment before Barnett looked at her.

"In light of the testimony, it is this board's discussion to rule in Cadet Kirk's favor. We also order a full tactical review of the Kobayashi Maru. Kirk made a very valid point, Commander. A simulation that can't be beat doesn't teach our command cadets, especially those who have seen combat, anything," the admiral said as one of his aides rushed in and handed him and PADD. She could feel the Commander's glare. Aren't Vulcans supposed to suppress their emotions? "We've received a distress call from Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian system, I hereby order all cadets to report to Hangar One immediately. Dismissed."

"That's Ny's boyfriend?" Bones asked from behind her. "I like him."

"Of course you do. Come on."

* * *

Lightning storm in space.

Those four words have only ever appeared in one report on record. One report that Jim knew like the back of her hand. The report her mother let her read when she was ten. The report that Chris referenced a million times in his dissertation. The report that detailed how her father died. The Kelvin report.

"Captain, we have to stop the ship," Jim said as she stood from the tactical console.

"Why?" her friend and commanding officer asked.

"This isn't a rescue mission, it's an attack," she told him.

"Based on what facts?" Commander Spock asked.

"That anomaly, a lightning storm in space, also occurred on the day of my birth before a Romulan ship attacked the USS Kelvin." She looked at Chris, "You know that, sir, it's in your dissertation. That ship which had formidable and advanced weaponry was never seen or heard from again. The Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space and at twenty-three hundred hours last night, there was an attack. Forty-seven Klingon vessels destroyed by Romulans in one ship, one massive ship, sir."

"And you know of this Klingon attack how?" Pike asked her.

"Lieutenant Uhura intercepted and translated the message herself. She mentioned it to me last night, that's the report number I sent you this morning. Tactically, it didn't make any sense to us, that's why we sent it to you, now it does," Jim told him.

"I didn't get a chance to read it," the captain sighed.

"We're warping into a trap, sir," she said.

"Kirk's logic is sound. And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in xenolinguistics, we would be wise to accept her conclusion," Spock said. Well, thank the lord for small favors.

"Scan Vulcan space, check for any transmissions in Romulan," Chris told the officer at the communication console.

"Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan," the officer said. Really? You're on the bridge of the flagship and you can't tell the difference between two of the most important languages you need in the black?

"Does Uhura?" Pike asked Jim and Spock. The Vulcan nodded.

"All three Romulan dialects. It's her thing," Jim answered.

"Get her up here," the captain ordered. "Hannity, hail the Truman."

"Yes, sir," the woman said. After a moment she turned in her chair, "I have them, captain." Chris relayed all the information he could just as the other ship dropped out of warp.

"It's an ambush, Chris," the other captain said over comms. "Evasive maneuvers!"

"Can we warn…Vulcan?" Jim asked quietly.

"I'm already on it," Uhura told her. Jim didn't even notice that her friend was on the bridge. "I got the warning out, sir, but I just lost all transmissions in the area."

"Shields up, red alert," Chris ordered.

"Arrival in Vulcan in five seconds... four... three... two..." Sulu counted them down.

What they found was a huge battle. The Truman was still intact but the other ships were in pieces.

"Oh my, God," Jim whispered.


	15. Chapter 15

"Hello," the Romulan on the screen said like he didn't have a care in the world.

Jim could feel her blood boil. This… _person_ murdered Robau, her father and members of their crew before he disappeared. Here he was, doing God knows what to Vulcan. Chris must've been reading her mind because he gave Jim that look he used to give her when she was a kid that meant he needed her to stay quiet.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike of the Enterprise. To whom am I speaking?" the captain asked.

"Hi Christopher, I'm Nero," the other captain said. Jim's fingers twitched, she wanted to wipe that smug look off his face.

"You've declared war against the Federation. Withdraw. I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral location," Pike said.

"I do not speak for the Empire," Nero told them. "We stand apart, as does your Vulcan crewmember, isn't that right, Spock?" Hold the hell up. Nero has a problem with Spock? Jim doesn't particularly like the guy but he's harmless. What could he possibly have done to this crazy Romulan?

"Pardon me, I do not believe that you and I are acquainted," the Vulcan said.

"No, we're not. Not yet. Spock, there's something I would like you to see," Nero said. "Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle, come aboard the Narada for negotiations. That is all."

You could hear a pin drop when the screen went dark. Jim had to sort through her thoughts. The Narada, Nero's ship, was back from wherever it's been for the last twenty-five years and started destroying everything in it's way. Nero wants Chris to go over there for 'negotiations' which Jim knows is code for 'we're gonna torture the shit out of you if you don't tell us what we want to know.' The Vulcans were limping off the planet. And they had a bunch of ships blown to bits with the exception of them, since the Truman saved their asses and took a hit that was meant for the Enterprise. At least they saved a good chunk of the Truman's crew.

"He'll kill you, you know that," Jim said.

"Your survival is unlikely," Spock said in agreement.

"Captain, we gain nothing by diplomacy," she added. "Going over to that ship is a mistake."

"I agree. You should re-think your strategy," the Vulcan said. Never let it be said that they couldn't get along.

"I understand that," Chis finally said. "I need officers who have been trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat."

"I have training, sir," Sulu said.

"Come with me," Pike told the pilot before he looked at Jim. "Kirk, you too. Chekov, you have the con."

"Aye aye, Captain," her young Russian friend said as Jim, Chris, Spock and Sulu left the bridge.

Jim started running a whole bunch of scenarios through her head. Chris asked for people with combat training, which meant they were going boots on the ground somewhere. Her suspicion was confirmed when Chris started talking.

"Without transporters, we can't beam off the ship, we can't assist Vulcan, we can't do our job. The shuttles are doing what they can but it's a shooting gallery out there. Miss Kirk, Mister Sulu, Engineer Olson will space-jump from my shuttle. You will land on that machine they lowered into the atmosphere that's scrambling our gear. You'll get inside. You'll disable it, then you'll beam back to the ship. Mister Spock, I'm leaving you in command of the Enterprise. Once we have transport capabilities, communications back up, you'll contact Starfleet, report what the hell's going on here. And _if all else fails_ , fall back, rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian system. Kirk, I'm promoting you to first officer," Chris told them

"The brass is gonna love that," she muttered.

"Captain, please, I apologize. The complexities of Human pranks escape me," Spock said.

"It's not a prank, Spock. You may not like her but she's one of the best tacticians in the fleet, you need her experience if we're gonna stop this guy. And I'm not the Captain, you are." Chris looked at Jim and Sulu, "Let's go."

"After we take out that drill, what happens to you?" Jim asked.

"Oh, I guess you'll just have to come and get me, kid," he said to her before looking up at the acting captain of the ship. "Careful with the ship, Spock. She's brand new."

"I bet Scotty's having a heart attack right now," Jim muttered as they doors to the lift closed.

"Just him? I saw that look on your face when you checked the engineering read out," Chris said.

"She's my baby," she said about the ship as they stepped into the shuttle bay. Almost five years of her blood and sweat went into this ship.

"Sirs, ma'am," Gavin called. "I got you set up over here. Olson's already suited up, he's loading the charges."

"Sounds good, Hendorff," Pike said as Jim and Hikaru pulled off their command gold tunics and kicked off their boots. Gavin took her shirt and tossed it over his shoulder before helping her put on the EVA suit, another officer helping Sulu.

"Do me a favor, Jimmy," Cupcake whispered.

"Name it," she said as he checked her seals.

"Don't die on me," he whispered.

"Wouldn't dare," Jim said, taking her helmet and giving Gavin a kiss on his cheek. "Keep track of my uniform for me, I'll be back."

"You better be."

* * *

Olson was an idiot. She served with him on the Farragut the first time around and was happy to see that he wasn't there on the last tour because he probably would've gotten her killed. As it was, he almost did her in this time. The idiot went and ignored Jim and Sulu when they told him to pull his chute and got himself pulled under and into the drill.

Without a ton of options, Jim and Hikaru, who shall forever be known as 'The Space Samurai,' used the Romulans' disruptor rifles and shot at the drill, taking the damn thing down. Unfortunately, Nero dropped something into the hole they drilled. Then Sulu fell off with the Narada retracted the platform and she jumped for him. They were dumped on the pad unceremoniously thanks to Chekov's quick thinking. Spock was beamed up right behind them with a Human woman and a bunch of older Vulcans.

"The elders," Chekov offered.

"The planet?" Spock asked at the same time Jim said, "Vulcan?"

"They have minutes," the Russian teen told them.

"Seek medical attention then return to the bridge," Spock ordered Jim and Sulu as he left the room, Chekov and the group of Vulcans following the acting captain. The human woman looked at Jim before she followed them too. There was something so familiar about that woman, Jim just needed to figure out what.

* * *

"You don't know how to stay outta trouble, do you?" Bones asked as he wrapped her hand. It wasn't broken but Sulu landed on it hard.

"Not my idea, trust me. You should probably hit the bridge at some point… acting chief medical officer," she said.

"You think that's a good idea?" he asked.

"Couldn't hurt," Jim replied.

"What couldn't hurt?" a welcome voice said from behind her. She gave him the short version. Gavin chuckled, "Glad to see you didn't die on me."

"Said I wouldn't," the tactical officer said with a half-smile, half-grimace. Cupcake reached over and touched the bruise forming around her left eye. "The guy who did that is dead."

"Good," the tall officer growled before he handed her a pair of boots and a gold shirt. "These are yours." He handed Sulu a set too. "And those are yours."

"And that's why you're awesome," Jim said as she tugged on her boots "Come on, Sulu. We better get back up there." She pulled her tunic on with a wince and dared the three men to say something.

"Behave, Jimmy," Gavin told her before he left sickbay to get back to helping Scotty in engineering.

"Why would I do that?"

* * *

"Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?" Spock asked.

"Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain," Uhura told him.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he replied.

"Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume every Federation planet's a target," Jim offered.

"Well, if the Federation is a target, why didn't they destroy us?" the wiz-kid asked.

"Why would they? Why waste the weapon?" the Space Samurai asked. "You know... we obviously weren't a threat."

"That is not it. He said he wanted me to see something. The destruction of my home planet," the acting captain surmised out loud.

"How the hell did they do that, by the way? Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?" Bones asked.

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer," Spock said. "Such technology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time."

"Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist. Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?!" Bones was so cute when he was frustrated.

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," Spock offered.

Her best friend rolled his eyes, "How poetic."

"It's Sherlock Holmes," Jim said. "I bet you a bottle of bourbon that they need the codes."

"What codes?" Bones asked.

"As Captain, Pike knows details of Starfleet's defenses and the codes to Earth's defense grid," Sulu offered. "Jim probably does too."

"All those hours at TacCom. What we need to do is catch up to that ship. Disable it, take it over and get Pike back," she said.

"We are technologically outmatched in every way. A rescue attempt would be illogical," Spock said.

"Some of my best work was illogical, still worked," Jim quipped.

"Nero's ship would have to drop out of warp for us to overtake him," Chekov explained.

"Then, what about assigning engineering crews to try and boost our warp capacity? I can help, I have intimate knowledge of this ship," she offered. They gave her a look. "I designed the warp core and some of the weapons systems."

"Remaining power and crew are being used to repair radiation leaks on the lower decks," Spock countered.

"Okay. There's gotta be some way," Jim said.

"We must gather with the rest of Starfleet to balance the terms of the next engagement," the Vulcan old her.

"You can't be that stupid," she said. Everyone on the bridge looked at her again. "There won't be a next engagement. By the time we've gathered, it'll be too late. You say he's from the future, knows what's going to happen, then the logical thing is to be unpredictable."

"You are assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold. To the contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the USS Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party," Spock told them.

"An alternate reality?" Nyota asked.

"Precisely. Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted, our destinies have changed. Mister Sulu, plot a course to the Laurentian system warp factor three," the acting captain ordered.

"Spock, don't do that. Running back to the rest of the fleet for a confab is a massive waste of time," she told him. This was not happening.

"Orders issued by Captain Pike when he left," Spock said.

"He also ordered us to go back and get him. You can't just abandon him _and_ Earth. You have a responsibility to…" Jim started but he cut her off.

"I am aware of my responsibilities, Miss Kirk," Spock said coolly.

"Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his next target," Jim said, hoping that someone was listening to her.

"That is correct and why I am instructing you to accept the fact that I alone am in command," he told her.

"I cannot allow us to go backwards, he's heading toward the nine billion people on Earth. Are you really gonna make murderers out of these kids?" she asked.

"Jim!" Bones called.

"Your daughter's down there," Jim said to her best friend, effectively shutting him up. "Nero is going to kill everybody. What part of that don't you get?"

"Security. Escort her out," Spock ordered. Jim looked over at Prescott and some officer she didn't know.

"Come on, Kirk," her friend said. She took a deep breath and stared Spock down.

"I'm one of the best tactical minds in the fleet. I want you to remember that when Nero destroys the Federation and everyone asks why you did nothing," Jim said before she followed Prescott off the bridge.


	16. Chapter 16

"He's stubborn," a voice said on the other side of the glass. Jim shot up from the cot she was laying on in her cell. "I'd like to say he gets it from his father but I fear that one is all me."

"You're Spock's mother?" Jim asked the human woman that beamed up with the Vulcan elders. That's why she seemed so familiar, he had her eyes.

"Amanda Grayson," the woman said with a small smile.

"Jim Kirk," the blonde introduced herself.

"I know. I met your father once a long time ago. You are much now like he was then," the woman told her.

"That's what my mom says," Jim chuckled.

"She is a wise woman," Amanda said. "Go ahead and ask the question on the tip of your tongue."

"You're human, how can Spock just abandon Earth?" the officer asked.

"He has always believed his humanity to be a bad thing. One of the elders referred to it as a disadvantage a few years ago. Spock strives to be a good Vulcan. Sadly, he will always fail because he is half human. I know there is some part of me in him, reaching it has always been the problem. He hides behind the rules and regulations from Starfleet and Vulcan philosophy," the older woman told her.

"How do I get through to him before Nero kills everyone on that planet?" Jim asked Spock's mother.

"Well, you have to get out of here first," Amanda said.

"That's what she has us for," Gavin said with a smile. Both women's eyes settled on the three ops officers who just walked in. Gavin, Prescott and some kid named Price. "I thought I told you to stay out of trouble, Jimmy."

"You know better, Cupcake. You guys here to spring me?" Jim asked.

"Of course," Prescott told her. "I didn't want to put you in here to begin with. Grabbed Gavin as soon as I could and Price is a friend. We need to stop Nero and while Spock might not want to listen to you, the handful of us who served with you before got your back."

"So, how the hell do you plan on getting me out of here?" she asked.

"Well, Gaila looped the imagers and Scotty offered up his codes. He says you owe him a bottle of scotch and a sandwich," Gavin told her as the door opened and she stepped out of the tiny room.

"Of course I do," Jim said with a chuckle. She looked at Amanda, "Spock?"

"He's emotionally compromised and he's running away. Vulcans have a telepathic link to their families. Spock feels my pain, his father's pain, his clan's pain and the pain of everyone remotely connected to us at the loss of Vulcan and it's people. He will deny it if you bring it up. But he can't lie to me."

* * *

"Wait," Jim whispered.

"What?" Gavin asked.

"Listen," she whispered as they stood outside the bridge.

"Are you out of your Vulcan mind? Are you making the logical choice, tossing Kirk in the brig? Probably. But the right one? You know, back home we got a saying, 'If you're gonna ride in the Kentucky Derby, you don't leave your prize stallion in the stable'," her best friend said.

"A curious metaphor, Doctor, as a stallion must first be broken before it can reach its potential," Spock countered. Gavin made a move to defend her but she grabbed his wrist before he could get that far.

"My god, man," Bones said. She knew that tone, he was pissed and just slipped into big brother mode. "What the hell is with all you idiots thinking you're Jim Kirk's biggest problem? That girl has been through some shit you'll never hear about, done some things you'll never read about and saved countless lives in the process. She's been beaten and tortured and starved. And you think that _you_ are gonna break her. Kodos the Executioner couldn't break her. And contrary to what the Fed History materials say, she killed him. She was thirteen. Trust me when I tell you, she's learned a lot since then."

"Oh how right you are, Bonesy," Jim said as she stepped onto the bridge. "Don't look so shocked, people. Getting out of the brig ain't that hard."

"How?" Spock asked.

"Like I would tell you. I did have an interesting conversation of my own when I was down there. Your mother came to see me," she said. "Wanna know what she had to say? Oh, that's right, I bet you already got the gist of it with Vulcans being all telepathic. Then again… your mother's not Vulcan." Everyone but Uhura seemed surprised at that bit of information.

"Kirk," Spock said.

"Spock. I actually feel sorry for you. Denying half of yourself for people who couldn't care less. And the one person who shows you unconditional love, you… tolerate," Jim said. She didn't want to hurt anyone but Amanda told her to go for it. "I don't know if I could look at the woman who brought me into the universe and pretend like she means nothing."

"You know not of what you speak," Spock growled. Uhura's eyes widened.

"But I do," Amanda said from the door to the bridge. " _You are not thinking with logic, my child. You are conflicted and you are running. You imprisoned someone because she sees through the shield of logic that you are using to hide your emotions. You would have me suffer the loss of my home, for what?_ " The older woman spoke to her son in Vulcan but Jim, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu understood her. Bones, Cupcake and everyone else was in the dark.

"Mother, Kirk is manipulating you," the young Vulcan said.

" _You think me so easily fooled, Spock? I sought her out while she was still in the brig. She needed to know. They all do_ ," Amanda said.

"Know what?" Sulu asked. Spock's mother gave him that look at every child dreads.

"Tell them," Amanda ordered her son.

"I am emotionally compromised, I hereby relinquish my command. Doctor, please note the time and date in the ship's log," Spock said to Bones, who nodded, before the half Vulcan left the bridge.

"That sucked," Jim muttered.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," Amanda told her before following Spock.

"Congratulations, Jim. Now we've got no Captain and no goddamn first officer to replace him," Bones grumbled.

"Actually, we do," she said before stepping over to the command chair and sitting down.

"What?" her best friend asked.

"Pike made her first officer. That's why she's been arguing with Spock, Pike told him to listen to her advice," Sulu said.

"Well, shit," Bones muttered. "At least you're better at this then you think you are."

"I guess," Jim said before she engaged the ship-wide communications system. "Attention crew of the Enterprise, this is James Kirk. Mister Spock has resigned commission and advanced me to Acting Captain. I know you were all expecting to regroup with fleet, but I'm ordering a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Earth. I want all departments at battle stations and ready in thirty minutes. Either we're going down, or they are. Kirk out."

* * *

"They're gonna be in geosynchronous orbit around Earth in… ten minutes. We'll never make it, Captain," Sulu told her. "The math is not on our side.

"Even if it was," McCoy looked at her, "you can't go in there with guns blazin', Jim."

"I know. They'll have their own defenses, plus they'll be looking for any parts of the fleet or local defenses to try to take 'em out. Ground attacks won't make a dent in their shields. And any ship this big will draw their attention if it's drops out of warp anywhere near Earth." They all looked at her. "I'm the chief tactical officer." Jim pinched the bridge of her nose, "What are we missing?"

"I have an idea, Keptin," Chekov said,

"What do you got, kid?" she asked her young friend.

The navigator sighed, "Based on the Narada's course from Vulcan I have projected that Nero will travel pass Saturn. Like you said we need to stay invisible to Nero or he'll destroy us. If Mister Scott can get us to warp factor four and if we drop out of warp behind one of Saturn's moons, say Titan, the magnetic distortion from the planet's rings will make us invisible to Nero's sensors. From there, as long as the drill is not activated we can beam aboard the enemy ship."

"Aye, laddie, that might work," Scotty said from where he was leaning next to Sulu.

"Wait a minute. How old are you, kid?" Bones asked.

Chekov smiled, "Seventeen, sir."

"Oh, that's just great, Jim. He's seventeen," the grumpy doctor said to her.

"Doctor, Mister Chekov is correct. I can confirm his telemetry. If Mister Sulu is able to maneuver us into position, I can beam aboard Nero's ship, steal back the black hole device, and if possible, bring back Captain Pike," Spock said as he stepped onto the bridge.

"I can't allow you to do that, Mister Spock," Jim told him.

"Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry. Our cultural similarities will make it easier for me to access the ship's computer to locate the device. Besides, my mother is human, I'd like for her to have a home to return to," the half Vulcan officer said.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

"I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it," the scientists said.

"Blame Pike, he's the one who taught me most of this stuff," Jim quipped. "Scotty get us there."

"Aye, lass," the second best engineer she knows left the bridge.


	17. Chapter 17

"Are you really going over there?" Gavin asked as he fell into step with Jim, Spock and Uhura.

"Are you really asking that question?" she countered.

"It's rude to answer a question with a question, Jimmy. You sure you don't want me or Prescott to go with Spock?" he asked as they stepped into the transporter room.

"This is something I gotta do. I owe Chris that much," Jim said. He nodded. "How are we, Scotty."

"Unbelievably, Captain, the ship is in position," the engineer told her.

"That's Hikaru for you," she said before hitting the comm. "Whatever happens, Mister Sulu, if you think you have the tactical advantage, you fire on that ship, even if we're still onboard. That's an order."

"Yes, ma'am," her friend at the helm –and with the con- said.

"Otherwise, we'll contact the Enterprise when we're ready to be beamed back," the young acting captain said.

"Good luck, Jim," Sulu said before closing the connection. Luck was about the only thing they _might_ have on their side. After a fist-bump from Scotty, she walked over the transporter pad and hopped up.

"Look, we're finally the same height," Jim muttered before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hey," Cupcake whispered as he cupped her face in his large hands, his thumb brushing over the bruise around her eye. "You got this, Jimmy."

"One can only hope," she sighed.

"Oh, come on. You know you're a badass," Gavin said. "All amazing and awesome. My inspiration."

"I'm your inspiration?" Jim asked.

"Have you seen your legs in the duty dress? It's everybody's inspiration," he told her. Jim laughed. "Made you laugh, my work here is done. Just… you know… come back." She rested her forehead against his.

"I will be back," Spock whispered to Nyota on the pad next to them.

"What he said," Jim whispered before she pressed as soft kiss against Gavin's lips.

"Be careful, Jim."

* * *

"Shouldn't be a soul in sight my ass," Jim muttered.

She was gonna kick Scotty. This was not the empty cargo bay he promised. It took half a second for the Romulans in the room to register that the Starfleet officers were there and start shooting. The pair ducked behind cover and started returning fire. They managed to take a lot of the Narada's crew down and Spock made a motion to one of the downed officers near them.

"Go, I'll cover ya," she told him.

"Are you certain?" Spock asked.

"Yea, I got ya," Jim nodded. Spock knelt near the injured Romulan and pressed his fingers against the man's face. Jim's never seen a mind meld and she would watch if it wasn't for the fact that they were in hostile territory. "Do you know where it is? The black hole device?"

"And where they're keeping Captain Pike," the half Vulcan told her. "This way."

Jim and Spock ran through the ship, shooting anyone who got in their way. They reached a small white ship and Jim couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it. She was in love.

"I foresee a complication," Spock said as they entered the main area of the vessel. Jim's eyes were probably as big as dinner plates as she looked around. "The design of this ship is far more advanced than I've anticipated."

"Voice print and face recognition analysis enabled. Welcome back, Ambassador Spock," the computer said.

"Ambassador?" Jim asked. "Okay, this is officially weird."

"Computer, what is your manufacturing origin?" Spock asked.

The disembodied voice returned, "Stardate twenty-three eighty-seven point nineteen. Commissioned by the Vulcan Science Academy."

"Are you gonna be able to fly the ship from the future?" the blonde asked.

"Something tells me I already have," he told her.

"Well, good luck," Jim said as she made a move to leave. She had a teacher/captain/friend/father figure to rescue.

"Jim, the statistical likelihood that our plan will succeed is less than four point three percent," Spock told her.

"Better odds then I'm used to. It'll work," said.

"In the event that I do not return, please tell Lieutenant Uhura..." he started but Jim cut him off.

"Spock, it'll work."

* * *

"Nero order your men to disable the drill or I…" Jim said but she found herself knocked on her ass by one of Nero's officers and her phaser slid off the ledge.

"I know you," Nero growled as he pulled her to her feet.

Jim's been in enough fights to know what was coming. Nero didn't disappoint when he hit her. And man, it hurt. The biggest mistake that the man made was thinking she wasn't gonna fight back. He pulled her up again and this time, she punched him in the face. He was stronger than her but she was pissed off enough that she didn't care.

"James T. Kirk was considered to be a great officer who went on to captain the USS Enterprise, but that was another life. A life I will deprive you of, just like I did your father," Nero said as he knocked her to the ground again. Jim looked up at him from where she landed and smirked.

"I'm not George," she growled as she kicked his legs out from under him. Jim rolled to her side and pushed herself up just as another one of Nero's men spoke over the comm system.

"Captain Nero, the Vulcan ship has been taken, the drill has been destroyed," the officer said. Jim smiled as Nero lost his shit.

"Spock! Spooockk!" the Romulan screamed as he rushed away from her.

Jim attempted to follow but the officer that hit her earlier grabbed her by the throat. The funniest thing about this was that Jim was actually more worried about Bones and Cupcake seeing a hand-print on her throat then she was about this guy choking her.

"Your species is even weaker than I expected," he said as he squeezed.

"I can't…" she sputtered as her hands found what they were looking for

"You can't even speak. What?" the officer loosened his grip. Big mistake. Huge.

"I got your gun,' Jim smirked as she pulled the trigger on the disruptor. The officer dropped her and Jim barely managed not to fall over the ledge with him. She pulled herself up, grabbed the weapon and ran in the direction that Spock told her to go.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Chris asked weakly. Jim's heart ached at the sight of him strapped to some table. It took every ounce of self-control she's ever had not to run after Nero and stab in the face… A lot.

"Saving your ass, old man. What else?" she replied, knowing he'd appreciate her snarky attitude.

"You're such a brat," he chuckled.

"But you love me," Jim told him as she unstrapped him.

"James T. Kirk," a voice said from behind her. "So different, and yet, the same."

"How do you know my name?" she asked as she helped Chris.

"I have been, and always shall be, your friend," the old Vulcan told her.

"Wha... oh, look... uh, I don't know you but you're welcome to tag along," Jim said as she pulled him loose with her free hand.

"I am Spock."

"Bullshit," she said but the look on Chris' face told her that the old man was telling her the truth. "Let me guess, long story?" Chris nodded. Jim pulled out her communicator as 'Spock' took Chris' other side. "Scotty, get us outta here."

* * *

"Nice timing, Scotty," Jim said as she, Chris and the two Vulcans materialized on the Enterprise.

"Ha ha ha ha! I've never beamed four people from two targets onto one pad before," the engineer said with a huge smile.

"Jim!" Bones and Cupake called as they, a medical team and Uhura ran into the room.

"Guys," she said with a smile.

"We got him, Jim," Gavin said as he took Chris from her and Bones started checking the older officer over. Jim, their Spock and Nyota ran from the room and headed to the bridge.

"Keptin, the enemy ship is losing power. Their shields are down, ma'am," Chekov said as soon as the door opened.

"Hail them now," she ordered.

"On it," Uhura said. A second later, Nero appeared on the viewscreen as a black hole formed in the Narada.

"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Your ship is compromised. You're too close to the singularity to survive without assistance, which we are willing to provide," Jim told the Romulan.

"Captain, what are you doing?" Spock whispered.

"Showing them compassion may be the only way to earn peace with Romulus. It's logic, Spock. Thought you'd like that," she said.

"No, not really. Not this time," he told her.

"I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times. I would rather die in agony than accept assistance from you," Nero growled.

"You got it. Mister Sulu, arm phasers, fire everything we got," she said as she took a seat in the command chair. She didn't want to help them anyway.

"Yes, ma'am," the helmsman said as his hands went flying over his console, shooting at the Narada until the pieces were sucked into the black hole.

"Sulu, let's go home," Jim said to her friend.

"Yes, ma'am," he said as he hit the commands to move the ship. Problem was that they weren't moving.

"Why aren't we at warp?" the acting captain asked.

"We are, Keptin," Chekov told her.

"Kirk to engineering. Get us out of here, Scotty," she called over the comm.

"You bet your arse, Captain," her friend said. After a minute, his voice returned. "Captain the gravity well has got us!"

"Go to maximum warp. Push it!"

"I'm giving her all that she's got, Captain?" Scotty told her.

"All she's got ain't cuttin' it. I know we got something else," she said.

"Okay. If we eject the core and detonate…" the engineer started. Jim knew where his brain was going.

"…the blast could be enough to push us away," she finished. "Do it!"


	18. Chapter 18

"Jim, wake up," Gavin whispered. She practically jumped out of her skin.

"Hey," she said as she rubbed her eyes. After Bones kicked her off the bridge to get some rest, she found herself in sickbay. Apparently, she was more tired than she thought because she fell asleep.

"That can't be comfortable," Cupcake said as she stretched. She was sitting in a chair, her head on the edge of Chris' bed.

"It's not, but at this point it doesn't matter. My whole body is sore. Even my hair hurts," she muttered. "What's up?"

"McCoy said he set you to bed, I would've stopped by your quarters but they were on deck six… which has a giant hole in it," he said as he pulled the side of her shirt up. He must've noticed her wince. "This was the next best guess. You know you have a bruise almost as big as you are, right?"

"Nero hit me in the ribs… more than once," Jim whispered as his hand glided over her bruised skin.

"Please tell me you gave as good as you got," Cupcake muttered.

"You know I did," she said. "Nurse Chapel checked me over. It's just bruised. I'd go under the regen but there are enough patients in there and I can handle being a little bruised up."

"I won't argue with you. Just do me a favor and tell McCoy if it gets to be too much," he told her. Jim nodded. "How's Pike?"

"Bones said Nero shoved this Centaurian slug thing down his throat. It latched onto his brainstem and released a toxin that forced him to give up the codes to the defense grid. His spine's a mess… he may never walk again," Jim said. "If Nero wasn't already dead, I would kill him."

"No you wouldn't," Gavin said, his fingers caressing the back of her neck. "You'd want to, but you wouldn't do it. You're a soldier, Jim, not a murderer."

"I don't know… I really don't," she sighed.

Jim hasn't even begun to process the fact that the man who killed her father, destroyed Vulcan and tortured Chris, the closest thing she had to a father, was now dead. To make matters worse, the brass was gonna spend forever dissecting every decision that Jim, Chris and Spock made. While not outright malicious, some of their choices could be considered questionable.

"You know enough or we wouldn't be alive right now," he said. "Come on, you need to get some sleep in an actual bed. I'm sure McCoy will let you know when Pike wakes up."

"Don't have a room," Jim muttered. "Or anything else at the moment."

"Hey, you got me. And Prescott. He's my roommate, so I know he won't care if you bunk with us. It's only a day and a half back to Earth," Gavin told her.

"How'd you guys end being roommates?" It wasn't impossible to get a friend as a roommate, it just wasn't easy.

"He made friends with the quartermaster," Cupcake told her with a wink.

"Prescott makes friends with everybody," she muttered.

"Yep." He was staring at her as they walked out of the room.

"What?" Jim asked. He tilted her chin up and looked at her neck.

"Who tried to choke you?" he asked. "You know what, don't tell me."

Jim chuckled, "Didn't catch a name. But if it's makes you feel better, I shot him with his own weapon and he fell off a really high ledge."

"That does make me feel better."

* * *

She let out a moan when the hot water hit her skin, it was impossible not to. Right now, it was the best damn feeling in the universe. As much as Jim wanted to spend forever under the spray, she kept it quick since she could barely keep her eyes open. After getting all the grime off, Jim turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her as she did.

She smiled when she noticed the clothes sitting on the counter. 'When did Gavin come in here?' Jim asked herself. She knew she was tired if someone as big as Cupcake was in and out of the bathroom without her knowing. Jim sighed as she pulled on the clothes he left for her. The black undershirt was way too big for her and fell mid-thigh, it was probably Gavin's, but the fleet issued boxer-briefs fit her perfectly.

"How'd you know my size?" she asked as she stepped into the main room. Gavin was half laying on the bottom bunk, his eyes closed.

"Asked Gaila," he muttered. "Don't be surprised if she comes to you gushing about how sweet it was. I got you a clean uniform too."

"That is sweet," Jim said with a smile as she looked over the small stack of clothes on the desk. Pants, black shirt, gold shirt, black sports bra and socks all in her size. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's wasn't a big deal though. You saved the world, the whole Federation owes you one," Gavin said with a smile. "I'm gonna take a shower. We're the bottom bunk. Don't hog all the covers." He kissed her temple and walked into the bathroom.

"I do not…" she started.

"This is me you're talking to," Gavin called from the bathroom.

"I hate you," Jim whispered.

"No you don't," he called back.

'How the hell does he do that?' she thought as she crawled into bed and closed her eyes. She doesn't know much time had passed when Gavin crawled in with her. He wrapped his arm around her, mindful of her banged up ribs, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm glad you're okay, Jimmy," he whispered.

"Me too."

* * *

"Enter," Jim said to whoever was on the other side of the ready room's door. Spock had the bridge and Jim was doing as much of Chris' paperwork as she could. "If it isn't my favorite medical professional. Sup, Bonesy?"

"You didn't eat today, did you?" Bones asked.

"Actually, I did. I ate breakfast with Cupcake and the security officers. I split a sandwich with Scotty while we were working on the power converters. And Chris' yeoman handed me a coffee and a protein bar an hour and a half ago. I am being fed all over the place, thank you very much," she told her best friend.

"I'm just glad everyone is keeping an eye on you. I know how you can get when you get wrapped up in something," the southerner grumbled. "I talked to mama and Joanna, they both told me to say 'hi.' You comm home yet?" Jim gave him a look. "That's right, you're a rolling stone. You comm your family yet?

"Mom will get back from that thing with the Klingons in the Laurentian system before we get to Earth. I checked in with Sammy too. I don't think I've ever seen him so… relieved," she said with a sigh.

"No kidding. How bad is the list?" the acting chief medical officer asked.

"Gary's on it. Delaney too. Thanas. A bunch of our instructors and classmates and… too many. How's Ensign Xi?"

Xi Biao, the crazy, brilliant man that Gavin loved like a brother was one of the crew members they beamed over from the Truman. He took an explosion to the face while helping his shipmates.

"Stable. He's gonna need some grafts and his right eye may have to be replaced with a cybernetic but it could've been worse considering that the blast could've killed him," the doctor said. "Hell of a couple days."

"Yea, but like you said, it could've been worse," the command officer said to her bestie.

Jim's been playing the whole thing back in her head and worse didn't even cover it. They could've been killed at Vulcan. The Truman's crew could've been killed. Nero could've taken out Earth and moved to Andoria, Teller Prime and every other Federation Planet on their list. Everything that happened took place at the right time, in the right way for them to come out on top.

"No shit. I better get back to medical. Pike was awake for a minute but he went back to sleep, I'll call you next time he wakes up. He'll want to talk to you," Bones said as he pushed himself out of the chair.

"More like he'll want to wring my neck for scratching the paint on his brand new starship," Jim chuckled.

"Well, you know what they say about dads and their rides."


	19. Chapter 19

"I'm just going to the hospital, mom. You're more than welcome to tag along and give Chris a hard time," Jim told her mother. "You know how much he hates to be coddled."

She thought Winona following her around last time was bad, boy, was she wrong. Aside from the debrief with the brass, Jim's mother has been attached to her hip. It wouldn't be that big of a deal except Gavin's parents were doing the same thing so they haven't really seen each other for more than a few minutes in the last four days.

"I don't know if I should," her mother said.

"Oh please. You and Chris are worse than me and Bones. All that sibling love without the genetics," Jim said as she pulled her jacket on.

"You mean, you don't think we're sleeping with each other," Winona countered. "That's a change."

"Considering that the last time I went to his house and found a half-naked Barnett in bed with him, I know better," she said to her mom.

"I knew there was something with those two. Best friends my ass," the engineer exclaimed.

"I think they've always been best friends. They're just are more and they finally had the time to get around to it," Jim shrugged.

"Like you and Hendorff." That wasn't a question.

"How…?"

"I may not be mother of the year… or even the decade but I know you. I know when you're happy and that boy makes you happy. You light up around him and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," her mother said.

"Yea, well, we've only been on one date. Between Nero and you and his folks…" the younger woman sighed.

"We're gonna have to do something about that," Winona said as they left Jim's dorm together. "Maybe invite him and his parents to dinner. Or we could make him some cupcakes."

"He'd get a kick outta that. He loves your cupcakes."

* * *

"It's not my fault. You turned her over to Spock banged up. How do you think I feel? We had to eject the warp core. My beautiful, wonderful warp core that I've been working on since I was seventeen. I almost burst into tears when I walked into engineering. It was bad, you have no idea. Scotty had to distract me," Jim told the Enterprise's actual commanding officer.

Chris stared at her for a minute before he laughed. "That's two."

"Three," Winona added. Jim looked at her mother. "George's car, Sam's bike and the Enterprise."

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. I'm not taking the hit for Sam's motorcycle. I rebuilt the damn thing, it's works perfectly," she said to the two officers. "As a matter of fact, I was driving it until I got on the shuttle to the Academy."

"Where is it?" her mother asked.

"In Iowa. You remember Anthony Wexler from the shipyard?" Jim asked. Winona nodded. "I gave it to him. I didn't need it anymore and he was always admiring it. So there. And I can't take the hit for the Enterprise either. I'm not the crazy Romulan who decided to shoot some future weapon at it."

"She has a point," Chris sighed. "You did good out there, kid."

"Yea, yea. I just did what I thought you would do. Fight the good fight, save who you can," Jim said with a smile. "Just don't scare me like that again. That was probably the hardest part about the whole thing."

"Really? You were worried about me?" the captain asked her.

"Of course. You're family," she said. "I remember when it was the other way around and you had to save me."

"Anytime… After I get my legs back," Chris smiled.

"Well, you know Bones. He's gonna help you get back on your feet, even if it kills him," Jim told him. "And, you know, you've been taking care of me… I can't not return the favor."

"Love you too, kid," he said. Jim thought she saw his eyes tear up but he blinked before she could be sure.

"You two are big softies," Winona muttered. Jim and Chris looked at the woman.

"Says the woman who cried all over me twice in the last six months," the younger Kirk pointed out.

"I'm your mother, I'm allowed."

* * *

"Okay, you're fighting like a little girl. What gives?" Jim asked. She and Gavin were sparring in the Academy gym.

"My parents are watching," he said just above a whisper. Jim looked around and chuckled, the Hendorffs weren't the only ones. The lowerclassmen were gawking at them.

"You don't want them to see you get beat up?" she asked.

"More like, I don't want the lecture that comes with beating you up," Gavin said with a smirk.

"Oh, keep dreaming. You couldn't beat me with my hands tied behind my back," Jim teased.

"Don't make me knock you on that cute ass of yours," he told her.

"I'm not afraid of you. Bring it, Cupcake," she said.

"I got your cupcake, sweetheart," the tall officer said.

"Then put up or shut up, babe," Jim said with a smile. This was so them, trash talking on the mats.

"My mom's gonna kill me," he muttered before he took a swing. Jim ducked and swung back.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from your mommy."

* * *

"This is weird," Gavin whispered.

They were showing his parents around the Academy. Gregory never really included them in his life around the fleet but Gavin thought that it would ease their minds a little to know that the crap with Nero wasn't normal.

"Jim!" a voice called as they were walking across the quad. She smiled and turned towards the cadet heading her way. It was a good thing too because he pulled her into a big hug.

"Hey, sweetie," she said to Kevin.

"Dude, I swear you got a quota on how many people you have to save per year or something," the kid said as he let her go.

"If that's the case, I think I'm good for the next century," Jim told her young friend.

"Kevin Riley. As I live and breathe," her mother said.

"Hey, Miss Winnie… err, Commander," the cadet said.

"Oh, please. I've known you almost your whole life, get over here," the older Kirk said, pulling Kevin into a hug. Jim and Winona introduced Kevin to the Hendorff family before he had to run off to class.

"So, you're friends with that young man?" Gerald asked. If he was hinting at something, she didn't know what.

"I am," she said. "Kevin's like my little brother." Gavin gave her a look and she nodded at the silent question. She never told him Kevin's last name when she told him about Tarsus but he caught the subtext. Thankfully, her statement led into a conversation between the parents about Sam and Greg.

"As least they're not planning our wedding anymore," Cupcake whispered.

Jim smiled, "No kidding."

* * *

"Wanna tell me whose idea it was to throw a party?" she asked her mother as they walked to Chris'. He was released from the hospital two days ago.

"What makes you think there's a party?" Winona asked.

"Because you forced me into a dress and heels. The only time I dress up to go to Chris' place is for my birthday." That was their thing.

Her birthday was enough of a big deal across the Federation and Jim always preferred keeping it low key. Every year, if she was on Earth, Jim would stop by the memorial, light a candle for her dad and have dinner with Chris. In the last three years become dinner with Chris, Bones, Gaila, Nyota and Gavin, but that was still the extent of her celebrations.

"I… I'm not telling," her mom said. Jim shook her head and opened the door.

"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled. All her friends and some of their parents were standing around Chris' house. Even Spock and his mother were there.

"You were saying," Jim looked at her mother.

"It was Gaila's idea," Winona told her, ratting the Orion out.

"Why?" the command officer asked. Everyone looked at Chris and Barnett, who seemed to be the only ones who knew.

"Jim," Chris said with a smile. "I talked to the brass when you left the hospital the other day. They're letting you keep her."

She looked at him like he grew another head. Jim didn't have to ask what he meant, she knew he was talking about the Enterprise. The brass was letting her keep the Enterprise. But…

"They're giving the flagship of the Federation to a lieutenant commander? That's crazy," she said.

"Rich," Chris looked at the admiral.

"You're getting promoted. All three of you," Barnett said. Jim and Chris looked at the tall man like he was crazy.

"What?" the two captains of the Enterprise asked at the same time. "Who?" again, in unison.

"Chris, you are being promoted to Vice Admiral. Jim, your field promotion to captain stands. Spock, your promotion to full commander was approved. Tomorrow, all three promotions will be official. Congratulations," Richard told them.

In a very uncharacteristic move, Jim burst into tears. A field promotion was a fluid thing but an actual promotion meant that everything was real. It hit her. Everyone was dead and they were giving her the ship she built for Chris because he couldn't command it anymore.

"I can't. I can't," she whispered. "Aren't there people in line for that chair? I can't be the captain. There's gotta be somebody better than me. There's seven hundred people on that ship. What if… What if I mess up? What about my dad's name and mom?" she looked at Winona. "I can't be the captain of the flagship."

"Jim, I need you to breathe," Bones told her as he got closer. She was trying but it wasn't working.

"Look at me," Gavin said as he moved in front of her, next to Bones. "Jimmy, breathe. Deep breath in, then let it out." Jim just did what he told her. It must've been working because Bones stepped back. "Better?"

"Yea. Sorry, it's just… I... I didn't do anything special," Jim whispered. "I'm no captain."

"That is incorrect, Jim," Spock said. She looked at him. "Not only are you a captain. You are our captain."


	20. Chapter 20

"I knew you would come to see me eventually," the man said as she stepped into the room.

"Well, you are from the future," Jim pointed out.

"Indeed. I am, however, not from your future. My Jim was a man," the older version of Spock told her.

"No way," she chuckled. "Really?"

"Yes. He was my very best friend," the Vulcan told her. "You have questions."

"I don't know where to begin. Why did Nero hate you so much? And what was all that talk about Romulus being destroyed? I'd ask Pike but he's got enough to worry about," Jim said.

"Perhaps, it would be better if I showed you," Old Spock told her.

"A mind meld?" she asked.

"Only if you are agreeable," he said. Jim nodded.

"Okay," the young officer whispered. Spock sat across from her and reached out to touch her face.

"Our minds, one and together," he said before he started the meld and Jim was pulled into his mind.

" _One hundred twenty-nine years from now, a star will explode, and threaten to destroy the galaxy,"_ Spock said in her mind. " _That is where I'm from, Jim. The future. The star went supernova..."_ She watched as a star exploded. _"...consuming everything in its path. I promised the Romulans that I would save their planet..._ " Jim watched Spock with a group of Romulans. " _We outfitted our fastest ship._ " The ship they stole from Nero, it was called the Jellyfish. " _Using red matter, I would create a black hole, which would absorb the exploding star._ " So, that was the stuff that made the black hole. She watched as Spock flew the small ship. " _I was en route, when the unthinkable happened. The supernova destroyed Romulus._ "

Jim understood why Nero lost his damn mind. She also understood why Spock, her time's Spock, was an illogical mess. There was something about watching a planet disappear with billions of souls on it that just hurt. She doesn't even like Romulus but her heart ached over the destruction of a planet that was still there.

" _I had little time. I had to extract the red matter, and shoot it into the supernova_ ," Spock continued. She watched as he loaded a drop of red matter and shot it into the star. " _As I began my return trip, I was intercepted._ " The Narada. " _He called himself Nero. Last of the Romulan Empire. In my attempt to escape, both of us were pulled into the black hole_." Jim had an idea of what happened next. " _Nero went through first. He was the first to arrive._ "

That's when the Narada ran into the Kelvin. She could feel the tears well up, knowing what happened to that ship, it's captain and it's acting captain, her father.

" _Nero spent the next twenty-five years awaiting my arrival. But what was years for Nero, was only seconds for me. I went through the black hole. Nero was waiting for me. He held me responsible for the loss of his world._ " She saw the old man kneeling before Nero at disruptor point. That's why he was on the ship. " _He captured my vessel, and spared my life for one reason. So that I would know his pain, so I could observe his vengeance. As he was helpless to save his planet, I would be helpless to save mine._ " Nero made him watch the destruction of Vulcan. " _Billions of lives lost, because of me, Jim. Because, I failed_."

When Spock pulled away, Jim could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Forgive me. Emotional transference is an effect of the mind meld," he told her.

"It's quite alright. Do you mind if I ask you something?" Jim whispered.

"You father?" he asked. Jim nodded. "Where I'm from, you… the other you often spoke of him as being your inspiration for joining Starfleet. He proudly lived to see you become Captain of the Enterprise."

"He was proud of me?" she asked.

"He was not alone," Spock told her.

"You sound like young Spock the other day. 'You are our captain.' It was odd," Jim muttered.

"He spoke with our father. Spock believed, as I once did, that our father only married our mother because it was logical as the ambassador to Earth. That is not the case. He married her because he loves her. Even though our father is fully Vulcan, there is some humanity in him. I believe he urged Spock to explore his humanity," Old Spock said.

"What does that have to do with me?" she asked.

"I believe Jim once referred to me as being the most human soul he ever encountered. I truly believe that's because he was my friend. I would be a different person had it not been for Jim Kirk. He was my captain," he declared. "Even after we were both promoted, I still deferred to Jim, risking my life and career countless times. We all did. All it took was Jim's instincts and his word and we followed him just as your officers follow you. Leonard passionately arguing on your behalf. Nyota's compassion and grace. Pavel and Montgomery's sometimes chaotic brilliance. Hikaru's fierce loyalty. Even your security officers would lay it all on the line for you. That is something that will not change in any reality."

"Wow," Jim said. She couldn't believe it. "I'm just me. I'm not special."

"That, Jim, is exactly why you're special."

* * *

"Hey, Captain awesome," Gavin said as she walked into his dorm. None of them have moved out yet, the fleet wasn't making them and they weren't really in a rush to go from empty dorms to empty officer's quarters.

"Don't call me that," she groaned as she took off her jacket and hung it on the chair.

"What? Awesome?" he asked.

"No. Captain," Jim said. "It's really weird. On duty is one thing but I'm just 'Jimmy' with you and I like that."

"Whatever you want, sweetheart," Cupcake said with a smile.

"You seem to be the only one thinking that these days," the newly promoted captain muttered. "Where are our folks?"

"Your mom took my parents somewhere, I didn't ask," Gavin told her.

"Does that mean we're finally alone?"

"It does. What do you want to do?" he asked.

"I have no idea. I didn't think it would happen for another week," Jim said honestly.

"I have two ideas," Cupcake said. "The first one, we go out. Which would probably be hard since everyone in the city knows what you look like. Idea two, we order a pizza and watch old Batman movies."

"Come on. You know what I'd pick," she said.

"Yep," he nodded.

"Pizza and Batman," they said together.

* * *

"Come on," Jim pulled on Gavin's hand. She owed her mother two. This was the second day the older Kirk took the Hendorffs somewhere and let Jim and Gavin be.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Arcade," she told him.

"No way. How come I didn't know about this place?" the tall man asked her as they walked into the building.

"I lived here for a little while when I was a teenager, so technically, I'm a local. I know a bunch of stuff about this city that you don't. Come on, I'm gonna kick your ass in PacMan," she said to him.

"Nope. That's my game. You can't beat me at PacMan," he told her.

"You wanna name terms?" Jim asked.

"Okay. If I win, you gotta cook and serve me dinner, all dressed up," Gavin said.

"How do you know if I can cook?" she asked.

"Your mother sold you out," he replied.

"I'm gonna kick her. And If I win?" the young captain asked.

"What do you want?"

"Foot massage. A good one," Jim declared.

"Done," Gavin offered his hand, which Jim shook. The pair played a bunch of games together before they got to PacMan.

"You sure about this, Cupcake? I take no prisoners," she said.

"Let's see what you got, short stuff."

* * *

"I thought you were kidding," her best friend laughed, Jim glared at him.

"Go away, Bones," she groaned.

"Oh, no. I should take a holo. You all dressed up and making your man dinner. Whatcha cooking?" he asked.

"A can of whoop ass if you don't leave me alone," Jim said.

"Don't be like that, Jim," the southerner said. "I mean, I lived with you for three years and I've never seen you cook."

"You never asked," she told him.

"True. You never offered either," Bones pointed out.

"True. It wasn't important," Jim shrugged. "Will you go away now? Gavin's gonna be here soon."

"Yea, yea. I'll go. What'd you do with your mom? This is her place."

"She took Gavin's parents to dinner with Chris," she said as the buzzer to the door rang.

"I'll get it and go. Later, kid," Bones said. Jim thanked him as he went to answer it. She took a breath and went back to what she was doing.

"Hey, beautiful," Gavin said.

"Hi. Dinner's almost done," Jim said before giving him a quick kiss.

"I can see that. I seriously don't care right now. This is a nice dress," he sighed. It wasn't exactly new or special. It was just a simple little black dress with leather trim.

"Thank you," Jim said. "You know, I'm gonna win next time."

"Oh, you think so?" Cupcake asked her.

"Yep," she shrugged.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Gavin whispered in her ear. Jim took a deep breath, her brain always goes foggy when he gets that close.

"You'll just have to wait and see, Mister Hendorff."


	21. Chapter 21

"This assembly calls Captain James Teresa Kirk," Barnett said. When Jim stepped in front of the admiral, he smiled at her. "Your inspirational valor and supreme dedication to your comrades is in keeping with the highest traditions of service, and reflect utmost credit to yourself, your crew and the Federation. It is my honor to award you with this commendation for Valor." Richard pinned the medal onto her uniform. "By Starfleet Order two-eight-four-five-five, you are hereby directed to report to Vice Admiral Christopher Pike, USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief."

Those five steps to her friend, mentor and -let's be real- dad were probably the longest steps she's ever taken. She stood before this man she always considered to be a giant as he sat in a wheelchair, still larger than life to her. Jim knew that while she couldn't see it behind his captain's –now admiral's- mask, Chris was beaming. This was the result of all those years he spent encouraging her to join up and keeping track of her.

"I relieve you, sir," she said.

"I am relieved," he replied. There was so much in those three words and Jim was sure she was the only one who heard any of it. 'I love you' was there. So was 'I'm proud of you.' And her personal favorite, 'You got this, kid.'

"Thank you, sir." She reached out to shake the hand he offered.

"Congratulations, Captain. Your father would be proud," Chris whispered.

"I know," Jim smiled at the new admiral. She gave Chris a look that told him exactly what she was thinking. Yes, George may be proud but she had a dad, a damn good one and his opinion mattered more than that of a dead man.

"You're a brat," he whispered.

"Your fault, old man," she whispered in return as everyone started clapping. "All your fault."

* * *

"There are eyes on you, girly," Gaila said as she pulled Jim through the club.

"Haven't you heard, I saved the world. I'm like a P.R. wet dream because everyone wants a piece," Jim quipped.

"I don't mean these idiots. I'm talking about Gavin. He's looking at you like he wants to devour you," the Orion told her.

"No way," the young captain whispered. She didn't look but Gaila did.

"Oh, yes way. You guys haven't gone there yet, have you?" her friend asked. Jim just shook her head. "I give you props. That's the kind of man you climb like a tree. I bet he'd let you do it too. What are you waiting for?"

"Oh, I don't know. All this crap to die down, maybe. I don't feel like myself right now. If this is my new normal, I at least want to get used to it before I go there," Jim sighed. "I don't know if that makes sense."

"It does, actually," Nyota joined their conversation. Gaila gave her a look. "Don't look at me like that. I'm all for these two finally doing something about three years' worth of unresolved sexual tension but I'm not gonna tell her to jump into bed with him. One, because she's right, if she doesn't feel like herself, they'll both regret it. And two, they're building something and I think that since they truly like each other, I don't think he cares."

"You think he doesn't want her?" their green friend asked.

"Not what I said," Ny pointed out. "I think that he likes her en… No, he loves her enough that it doesn't matter that they've never had sex with each other. When it happens, there will be no doubts, questions or reservations and that trust is more important that the act itself."

"Are we talking about Jim and Gavin?" Hikaru asked as he hugged Jim from behind.

"Yep," the blonde muttered. "You want to add your two credits to the conversation?"

"Not really," the pilot said. "Just remind your boyfriend that I'll cut him into tiny pieces if he ever hurts you."

"You have to get in line behind my mom, Chris, Sam, Bones and Scotty," she told the Space Samurai.

"And me," Gaila said.

"And me," Nyota added.

"I get the hint. Hurt Jim and die," Cupcake said as he joined them. "Prescott and Xi should probably be on your list too. I never thought my best friend would give me the shovel talk. From a hospital bed, no less."

"I don't know if I should be touched or worried that you're all so quick to kill someone on my behalf," Jim muttered.

"Both," Gaila, Nyota and Hikaru said at the same time. Jim gave the three officers a look. She opened her mouth to say something but Gavin handed Sulu her drink and tugged her away.

"You didn't put on that dress to have girl, and Hikaru, talk," he told her.

"You know it's customary to ask someone if they wanted to dance with you," she said as he pulled her closer.

"If you were anyone else I would ask but I know you well enough to know that you'd think up a million and one reasons why you won't, so I'm not giving you the option," Gavin said. "If you really don't want to dance with me, you'll leave… or drop me on my ass."

"Very true."

* * *

"How is it that the kid is more sober than you?" Gavin asked her. Chekov made them all look like lightweights with his super high tolerance.

"He's Russian. I bet there's vodka in his blood," Jim said. "I am not that lucky. How are you more sober than me?"

"I'm bigger than you," he said. For some reason that made her giggle. "What?"

"Tree," she muttered.

"Tree?" Cupcake gave her a look.

"Gaila said I should climb you like a tree," Jim said with another giggle. Bones had his hands full with that woman. Jim watched her friends who were a few feet ahead of them.

"Did she?" Gavin asked.

"Yep," the new captain said.

"You can do whatever you want with me… when you're sober," he told her.

"I will have to remember that, Cupcake."

"Please do," he said with a wink.

* * *

"This place is huge," Scotty muttered as he stepped into Jim's new apartment.

"I know. I'm not used to it yet but I figure you guys will probably be in and out of here so I doubt I'll have it to myself," Jim said. That's what she was telling herself to feel better about the fact that the apartment her mom found for her was a bit bigger then the first level of Chris' house. "What's up?"

"Engineering reports," he said.

"You could've sent them," she told him.

"I know, lass. I wanted to see how ye were doing. Ye've always had this knack for being in the right place at the wrong time. While most people dinnae get why you shy away from the attention, I do," the engineer plopped down on the couch next to her.

"Taking it one day at a time. Right now, I'm trying to put a crew together. A good chuck of the people assigned to the Enterprise are staying but I'm still a hundred short," she sighed.

"That's what ye have senior staff for, lass. It's our job to help ye," he chuckled.

"Well, Bones is working on medical staff and Spock on everything else science. I have you, Ny and Barry Giotto on the operations officers. Sulu and I are putting the gold shirts together. I just want to know who all these people are. Chris went through all his personnel files himself, there's no reason I can't," Jim said.

"Ye haven't been at this that long, lass. Pike's been in the fleet longer than ye've been alive. I bet if ye talked to him, he'd tell ye it was okay to ask for some help and trust the people giving it," Scotty reminded her.

"I do trust all of you. It's just…"

"Ye are the youngest captain in the history of Starfleet and ye don't to screw up. I've known ye since ye were fourteen, lass, so trust me when I say that ye got this," he told her. Jim smiled, she felt a whole lot better.

"Thanks, Scotty," she smiled.

"Anytime, lass. Ye know, ye still owe me for helping the lads get ye out of the brig."

"You ever had Primanti Brother's?" Jim asked.

"Cannae say I have, lass," he told her.

"Oh… it'll change your life. I usually get the corned beef. And they put the French fries and coleslaw in the sandwich. Come on, the original is in Pittsburgh, we can do this paperwork there."


	22. Chapter 22

"What are you thinking about?" Gavin asked her from his spot on the other end of the couch. Jim was going over some reports while he watched the basketball game with her feet in his lap.

"I'm too tall to climb you like a tree," she answered honestly as she sat the PADD on the table and looked at him.

"I thought you were kidding about that," he said. Jim smiled when noticed that his ears turned pink.

"Nope, Gaila really said it. She even asked me whether or not I tried it when I talked to her this morning. It's apparently two real things. Short girls with really tall guys is called 'tree climbing.' And then there's a position in the Karma Sutra that's called 'climbing the tree'," Jim chuckled. "The problem with the first one would be that I'm only five inches shorter than you. Gaila, on the other hand, is like nine inches shorter than you. The second… I'm not getting into right now."

"Doesn't mean you can't try 'em if you wanted to," Cupcake pointed out.

"That sounds like an offer, Mister Hendorff," she said with a smirk.

"Maybe because it was an offer, Miss Kirk," he smiled. Gavin gripped her ankle and pulled her closer. She went willingly, her legs straddling his lap. "Hi."

"Hello," Jim said. She could feel her pulse going a thousand miles an hour and he probably knew it. Gavin's hands were resting on her thighs and his thumbs were running along the edge of her shorts.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered. Jim looked down at her hands, which were playing with the hem of his shirt. "Don't do that."

"What?" she asked.

"Hide from me," Gavin said, gently taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting her head so that she was looking at him. Jim's blue eyes met his and it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.

"Gav…" His mouth crushed against hers, cutting her off.

Gavin's hands buried in her hair, pulling her closer. Everything in Jim's world tilted. His lips were hot and consuming as his tongue tangled with hers. She looped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his. He dragged his mouth down her throat and Jim sucked in a sharp breath.

"Oh God," she whispered. Jim felt like there was molten lava running through her veins as his lips moved over her collarbone, his hands unzipping her hoodie and moving it out of his way. He lifted his head and looked at her with dark eyes. Jim could read a bunch of emotions in those pools of blue.

"What's wrong?" Jim managed to ask.

"Nothing, it's just... I don't do causal. If we do this, I'm yours and you're mine. There's no going back," Gavin told her.

"I don't want to go back," she whispered. What she wanted was him.

"Are you sure, Jim?" he asked, his eyes studying her face.

She nodded, "I'm sure." In fact, she's never been more sure about anything in her whole life.

"Well, alright then," he said as he stood up with her in his arms, heading up the handful of stairs to her bed.

"That's it? That's the big conversation?" Jim asked with a chuckle.

"Yep," Gavin smiled. "Covered the important stuff. The rest can wait until later." He gently tossed her on her bed and pulled his shirt over his head. "Now… Where were we?"

"I believe," she said as she pulled her own shirt off, "you were having your way with me."

* * *

"You have beard rash on your neck," Gaila muttered.

"It's not just on my neck," she muttered to her friend with a shrug. Jim had beard rash all over the place but she didn't mind it one bit.

"Oh, you two finally…?" Jim nodded before Gaila got the whole question out. "Well, it's about damn time. Was it good?" the Orion asked. The young captain didn't say anything but the look on her face must've given her way because Gaila smiled. "Oh, it was. You gotta spill the details."

"I don't _gotta_ spill anything," Jim sighed. "Go away."

"Jim. I'm your friend, you gotta tell me what happened," Gaila pouted but she wasn't budging. "Fine. At least tell me this one thing. Gavin is a tall and bulky man. So, I gotta know, is he… proportionate?"

"Very," Jim answered. She could feel the blush creeping up her neck as her friend squealed.

"Oh, you lucky bitch," Gaila said. Jim raised an eyebrow. "All kidding aside, are you happy?"

"Of course I am. I got a ship, I got my boyfriend, I got my friends. Chris is doing better and my mom is back in the black. My brother eloped, so I got a new sister. In this very moment, everything in my world is right."

* * *

"Lovin' the new digs," Jim said as she walked into Chris' office at HQ.

"It's okay," he muttered from behind the desk.

"Okay? You have the coolest view of Crissy Field from here," she said as she looked out at the water and the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Alright, I'll give you that one. What's up?" Chris asked. Jim put a small bag on his desk. "What's this?"

"A gift for your new office," the young captain said as she sat in the chair across from him. He gave her a look. "Just open it."

"Oh, kid," he said as he took the small ship replica out of the gift bag. "It's a mini-Enterprise."

"You gave me the real thing, this was the best I could do," she told him.

"It's perfect. Thank you," Chris said as he sat the ship on his desk next to his console. It looked right at home in that spot. "You ready?"

"Is it okay if I say no?" Jim asked.

"Yes, it's perfectly okay. I wasn't ready when I got my first command either," he told her.

"Really? That uh.. That doesn't make me feel any better," she said.

"It's should. You're forgetting that I'm the last 'Youngest Captain in the Fleet'," Chris pointed out. "It was scary with everyone watching me and I was nine years older than you are now. Craziest thing happened though. While almost everybody treated me different because I outranked all my friends and my dad, there was this little blonde, blue-eyed, brilliant six year old girl jumped into my arms like nothing changed. You remember what you said?"

"I asked if you were gonna the best captain in the universe," Jim said with a smile. "And when you told me that you didn't know, I told you that all you needed to do was your best like you always told me. God, that almost twenty years ago. I can't believe it flew by that fast."

"You're tellin' me. I'm going gray," he said.

"It's looks good on you," she told him with a chuckle. "You really think I can do this?"

"I wouldn't have told them to let you keep her if I didn't. All you need to do is your best. And your best, Miss Kirk, is pretty damn amazing."

* * *

"Engaging thrusters and impulse engines at your command, ma'am," Sulu said as she stepped on the bridge.

"Weapons systems and shields on standby," Chekov told her.

"Dock control reports ready, Captain," Uhura added.

The months it took to get the ship ready finally paid off and they were ordered to go out on a patrol. Jim knew it was a test run to see if she could actually command the ship and that she wasn't just a lucky kid with the keys to the kingdom. She didn't mind, at least the brass was honest about it. Of course, that was probably because Chris and Rich wouldn't let them lie to her.

She looked around the bridge, her bridge, and smiled.

"Bones," the captain said as she practically bounced down the few steps. "Buckle up."

Her best friend rolled his eyes and shook his head but she could tell he was excited. This is what she's been talking about since they met, Captain Jim and Doctor Bones kicking ass on their own ship someday. It just so happens that someday came a lot sooner than they expected.

"Engineering has checked in, Captain. Mister Scott reports all systems optimal," Spock told her as he stood from her chair.

"Thank you, Mister Spock. Sulu, we've got an assignment to get to but we aren't in a rush. I think warp four will be just fine," she told the helmsman.

"Ready with you are, ma'am," he told her after punching in the sequence.

"Alright, let's ride."


	23. Chapter 23

"Captain Kirk, you got a minute?" a voice asked as she walked through the corridor.

"I do, Giotto, as long as you don't mind walking with me," Jim answered as she slowed her steps. The man caught up with her. "What's on your mind?"

"I heard a rumor, well, more than one but this rumor is about one of my officers," he said as they stepped into the turbolift.

"Gavin Hendorff," she offered. Jim knew the Chief of Security would come to her eventually, Lieutenant Commander Bartholomew 'Barry' Giotto was good at what he does. That's why Chris recommended him and why she picked him.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "I know it's none of my business if you're sleeping with each other, I just need to make sure that's not the reason he's here."

"Computer, stop the lift." They stopped moving and Jim turned to face the officer with her. "Lieutenant Hendorff has almost as many commendations in his file as I do and he helped save the world, that's why he's here. However, in the interest of full disclosure, he and I are genuinely a couple. It's a relationship that started long before I got command. The rest of the senior staff knows but mainly because I've known them all for years, save you and Commander Spock. We're not exactly hiding it but we prefer to keep it as discreet as we can. To be honest, it sucks being my boyfriend's CO," Jim told the officer.

"I understand, ma'am. I couldn't imagine being equal with my friends one day and their commanding officer the next," Giotto said. "He's a good officer. I'm just making sure he wasn't doing something stupid like sleeping with his captain to get a leg up."

"No, he'd never do something like that and I'd never let him. I get enough of that stuff being a Kirk and close with Pike, I wouldn't let something like that hang over his head. And, even though I may be a newer captain, I've grown up around enough officers to know that sex is not worth your career, no matter how good it is. Thank you for asking instead of assuming," she said before she ordered the lift to resume.

"No problem, Captain. Thanks for being willing to talk to me," he said.

"Anytime." Jim could tell from the set in his shoulders that he didn't actually believe her. "Seriously. Anytime you need to talk or ask me something, I'll listen."

* * *

They'd been on the ship a little over a month and a half. Other than a pushy commissioner who tried to take over a medical supply run and some escort trips, they'd been pretty calm. Jim kind of felt robbed, she saw more action when she was a kid tagging along with her mom or Chris. Of course, that all changed with a distress signal on a Starfleet channel from Deneva.

Listening to the communication a few times, Jim knew it was Sam even without any vocals. Both Kirk kids could call for help on a ton of different systems thanks to Hoshi Sato. The old communications officer who served with Archer had the outward appearance of a sweet grandma with the skills and stories of a cool uncle who just got back from a war. If Hoshi knew something and you asked, she'd teach it. So, when they lived on Tarsus, Jim and Sam spent a lot of time with the retired officer.

"Any idea what we're dealing with, Bones?"

He shook his head, "There's no apparent medical reason for any of this, Jim. Their nervous systems… it's like they're being violently stimulated, even when they're out cold. We'll need to do more tests."

Jim, Bones, Spock, Gavin, Price and Lieutenant Zahra beamed down to the capital city and encountered a group of hostile civilians. After stunning them, Bones looked them over. What Jim couldn't figure out was where everyone else was. The colony had seven hundred and fifty thousand people in it, nearly two hundred thousand of which lived in the capital. They've only seen three.

"You hear that?" Price asked, pulling Jim out of her thoughts. She listened for moment before she heard a scream from somewhere.

"I'm reading life signs from that building, Captain," Spock told her. It was a nondescript government-type building that Spock said was the governor's offices. Phasers at the ready, they entered the building and followed Spock's readings into the maintenance area.

"Anyone else feel like we're being watched?" Gavin whispered.

"I feel it. Keep your eyes open," she muttered. They moved further into the area when they heard someone yell from behind them.

"You. Help me!" the woman called as she ran up to them and grabbed Bones. "Kill me, they're in my head." Jim tried to calm the woman down but nothing was working.

"We're not gonna kill you. We're here to help," Bones told the woman.

"You have to stop these things. They…" the woman let out a scream before her eyes locked with Jim's. "Pain. They control… with pain." Bones loaded a hypospray –with one hand- and sedated her. "You have pretty eyes… reminds me of Geor…"

"You think she knows your brother?" her best friend asked.

"She might. Not sure if that's a good thing or not," Jim shrugged.

"We should probably send her to the ship," Bones said.

"Price, get her to the surface and beam back to the ship. Alert medical that we might have more incoming," she ordered.

"Aye, ma'am," the ensign nodded before he picked the woman up and headed out the way they came.

"The rest of us should keep going," Jim said.

"Use of the word 'them' implies that this isn't an illness but a sentient threat," her first officer said as they got moving again. Spock has a knack for delivering bad news.

Together, the five officers continued searching for answers. It was uneventful until they stepped into a room full of these big pink octopus looking things that were clinging to the walls.

"What the hell are those?" Zahra asked.

"Um… well… I got nothin'," Jim answered.

"Fascinating," Spock said. He stepped further into the room and one of the things jumped on his face. The tall Vulcan went down fast.

"Spock!" Jim called as she ran over to him. "Bones?"

"He's alive but he's out. Vitals are stable but we need to get him outta here, Jim," the doctor told her.

"Uh… Captain," Cupcake said. When she looked at him, he was looking down the corridor, his weapon at the ready. "We got incoming."

More colonists were headed in their direction and they did not looked happy. Jim and Bones each grabbed one of Spock's arms, pulled the unconscious Vulcan off the floor and carried him together while Gavin and Zahra covered their exit.

"We gotta get out of here, the sooner the better," she said. Jim attempted to comm the ship but all she got was static. "Interference. We're on our own." That's when a panel near her foot moved. "Please don't start coming out of the floors too." Whoever was down there lobbed a smoke grenade past the Starfleet officers.

"Down here, guys!" someone said. Jim smiled, she knew that voice. Bones climbed down first and Jim handed him Spock before she, Zahra and Gavin followed.

"Of all the maintenance areas of all the buildings on all the colonies, you show up in mine," Sam said as he gave her a hug.

"You're so lame, Sammy," Jim said as checked her brother over for injuries. Then she looked over his shoulder at her sister-in-law.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Aurelan said.

"You know these people, Captain?" Zahra asked.

"Yep, LT. Doctors George and Aurelan Kirk, my older brother and his wife," she told the security officer. "What happened here, Sam?"

"I'll explain once we're safe. Right now, we need to get Spock outta this mess. Auri knows the quickest way up," her brother said.

"Lead the way."

* * *

"While the creature was attached to me, I could _feel it_ as it tried to influence my mind. This may explain the behavior of the colonists. The creature was _encouraging_ me to act on it's behalf, all the while believing that I was still in control of my actions. If Doctor McCoy had not freed me, I fear that I may have acted on it's wishes to take over the ship," Spock told her after Bones got him free from that glob thing and stable.

"That makes sense," Aurelan said from one of the consoles in medical, she hacked into the colony's system. "They showed up last month on a ship from Ingraham B. From the vid-feeds I found, it looks like they're using the others as their arms and legs to build ships."

"So, we gotta figure out how to disable them without killing the rest of the colonists before they get off the planet?" Jim asked. Sam nodded. "Never easy, is it?"

"Oh, come on, Jimmy. When's the last time me and you got to rock a science project?" her father's namesake asked.

"Of course you'd take this as an invitation for an experiment," she chuckled.

"You have met me, right?" her brother asked with a smirk. "I'm a research biologist, life is an experiment." Jim looked at Aurelan.

"He's your brother," the other Kirk woman said.

"Yea but he's your husband," Jim countered.

Bones chuckled, "You're all crazy."

* * *

"Shouldn't you be hanging out with your boyfriend?" Sam said as they sat in the lab. He was trying to figure the creatures out and Jim was just watching.

"He's going with me, you aren't," she reminded him. The Enterprise was still at Deneva to make sure all the creatures were dealt with, they were leaving in the morning.

Spock, Sam and Auri figured out how to stop the creatures with an ultraviolet pulse. Scotty and Chekov managed to rig Deneva's satellite array so that they could flood the city with the UV waves. Once they activated the pulse, the creatures lost their hold over the colonists.

Her first officer was the test subject for the whole thing but he messed up his eyes in the process. According to Bones, he'll heal but it'll take some time. The Vulcan's immediate problem was gonna be his girlfriend. Uhura was not happy that he did something so reckless and Jim agreed with her. For the time being, Spock was on limited duty and Scotty was the acting XO.

"I'm glad you're doing okay out here. You are okay, right?" her brother asked.

"I'm okay. Kicking myself for wanting some action though," Jim answered honestly.

"Don't. You were always the adventurer. I used to be so jealous of you for that," he sighed, never taking his eyes off his work.

"You were jealous of me?" she asked. When the hell was this and how did she miss it?

"Of course I was. You're so much like dad it's crazy. I tried to be more like him but it never fit. You… you've got a lot of him in you. And some Chris too. I'm like mom used to be before... you know," Sam said. "I guess I just wished I was more like you."

"I wanted to be more like you and mom. That's why I studied warp physics," Jim said with a laugh.

"You know what I noticed today when we saved the colony?" he asked and Jim shook her head. "We're a lot more alike than we thought. I think we did dad proud."


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my version of the Vulcan's Vengeance comic. Because Amanda is alive in my universe, it's a bit different here. Also, Sarek is totally a BAMF in any reality.

"It would be wise for you to start at the beginning, mother," Spock said to Lady Amanda. Jim didn't say anything as the woman across the table sighed.

"Your father and I were on a mission for the Elders," Spock's mother told him.

"What was the mission?" the Enterprise's first officer asked.

"The recovery of debris from Vulcan space," Amanda told them in a very diplomatic way. They already knew what she was hiding, Jim and Spock gave the woman a look. "I swear you two are scary when you're on the same side. The ship found Red Matter. We were ordered to stay with it."

"We know. One of the Romulans told us about it already. They plan to take it back to Romulus and sell it," Jim said. "And we didn't see Sarek."

"He's the Vulcan hostage that they took with them," the other woman told her. "Of course, they don't know that he _let_ them take him."

"That makes sense. He's staying with the Red Matter," Jim sighed. "And this was supposed to be a simple assignment."

The Enterprise was sent to investigate comm silence near Starbase Ten. Naturally, Jim suspected the Romulans since they were so close to the neutral zone but they picked up a Vulcan warp signature heading away from the relay and decided to follow it. Jim knew that the since all the Vulcan ships were supposed to be part of the colony fleets, something was going on. On approach to the Vulcan ship, they picked up a distress call from a Vulcan science vessel. The Enterprise intervened.

The attackers managed to get away from the Starfleet ship with a hostage, who they now know was Sarek. One of the Romulans contacted the Enterprise claiming to be a survivor of the Narada. He told them that he intends to sell the Red Matter to the Romulan Empire.

"We are short on options, Captain," Spock said.

Jim closed her eyes, "No kidding. We have a hijacked Vulcan ship with Red Matter and a Vulcan prisoner, more or less, on route to Romulus. And no way of contacting the brass without leaving this sector. We're gonna have to go into the Romulan Neutral Zone."

"I have no objection, Captain," Spock informed her.

"Really?" she asked. He nodded. "And here I was counting on you to tell me it was a bad idea. You got a plan?"

"I do, indeed, Captain. We need two security officers that we can trust and Doctor McCoy," he told her before laying out the broad strokes of a plan. His mother added her own details and Jim smiled.

"Bones is not gonna like this. Let's do it."

* * *

"How is it that I always let you drag me into this stuff?" Bones asked.

"Oh, come on. You know you love it. It's fun," she said with a smile.

"Fun? Laser tag with Joanna is fun. Messing with the Romulans is not," he told her.

"Relax, doc," Gavin said.

"You know redshirts die first, right?" Bones asked.

"As long as it's for a good reason, I wouldn't mind," Cupcake muttered.

"What's a good reason?" Jim asked.

"Protecting my captain, for starters," Gavin said with a wink.

"Don't you two make eyes at each other," her best friend grumbled. "I can't believe you dragged him into this too."

"There is only one other person who knows what we're doing. I needed to take people I can trust. That's why it's him, you and Zahra with me and the prisoner in this shuttle. This is supposed to be a humanitarian mission, Bones, which means small team, including a medical professional. The Vulcan hostage might need medical assistance. I would've asked M'Benga but I don't really know him and having unknowns near the Romulans is not a good idea. So, suck it up," she said.

"Captain, multiple contacts. They picked up our SOS," Zahra said from the shuttle's helm.

"That was faster than I expected," Jim muttered.

"They must've been patrolling inside the neutral zone already," Gavin said from behind the two women.

"Probably itchin' for a fight. Lieutenant, comply as planned," Jim ordered. The woman nodded at the captain and responded to the hails.

Of course, the Romulans didn't want to play nice with them. The small craft was pulled in by tractor beam, then the officers were pulled out of the shuttle and dragged to the Romulan captain. Jim tried to explain what was going on but, as she expected, it didn't matter.

"Do you really expect us to believe that you violated the treaty because you have our best interests at heart? What is your real purpose?" the Romulan commanding officer asked.

Jim looked the man in the eyes, "I'm telling the truth. We're in pursuit of a weapon that could be harmful to the Empire and the Federation."

"We already intercepted the agents with the weapon, they are Romulan," the other captain told her. "They rescued what was ours. Guard, take their prisoner to the infirmary, insure that he hasn't been harmed. Captain, since you violated the boarders, I must insist that you enjoy your stay." He motioned to the guards who took their prisoner away and forced the four Starfleet officers down the corridor.

"This is just great, Jim. You know, if they don't kill us, they'll toss in a work camp or something equally crappy," Bones whispered.

"Have a little faith, Bonesy. The board is set, it's time to play the game."

* * *

"Captain Kirk of the Federation, you and your crew stand accused of violating the treaty that secured the peace between our empires. You stand accused of espionage within our sovereign territory. You stand accused of intent to destroy the Romulan race. What say you in your defence?" the Romulan Senator asked.

"It's not an Empire," Jim said.

"What did you say?" the Romulan asked her.

"The Federation is not an empire. It wasn't built on forceful submission, it's an alliance built by choice," she declared.

"Your point?" the senator asked.

"My point is that nobody is safe as long as Red Matter exists. Not the Federation or the Empire. Our incursion was not an act of war, it was one of _solidarity_ between our civilizations. This is a threat greater than both of us," she told the Romulans in the room.

"Red Matter is only a danger in the wrong hands, Captain. When we learned of Nero's actions, we were not filled with shock or disapproval but regret. Regret that we could not welcome that brave son of Romulus into the Empire's embrace before he was killed by _your_ hand. He brought glory to the Empire and now, the last piece of his legacy has come home. It is obvious that you intended to steal the Red Matter for the Federation. Masking your mission as one of goodwill only adds to your dishonor. It is the decision of this body that you be imprisoned here on Romulus until the end of your days," the lead senator told them.

"This is just great, Jim," Bones grumbled next to her. "This is it."

"No it's not. Bishop takes queen."

* * *

"Oh, look at that, Jim. They're moving us to the detention facility," her best friend muttered. She wasn't paying him too much attention, she was watching the Romulan in front of her as his hands flew the small vehicle they were in so that she could fly it herself.

"Cupcake," she whispered.

"Ready," he whispered back.

"Zahra," Jim looked at the other woman, who nodded. Jim smiled, "Go."

Jim kicked the Romulan in front of her in the back of his legs before she knocked him out of the craft while Zahra and Gavin each attacked two of the others. The last guard grabbed Bones from behind and held a weapon to his head.

"Stop or I'll kill him," the guard said. Jim just laughed. Bones glared at her, she knew he had something to say but he didn't get the chance when guard was shot in the back by a disruptor rifle and fell over the side of the craft.

"Knight takes bishop," she said as Spock and Sarek lowered their vehicle next to the other officers.

"That is indeed checkmate, Captain," her first officer said.

"You're the Romulan prisoner?" Bones asked Spock.

"The captain felt it best that the fewer people aware of my identity, the better," the half-Vulcan said with a nod.

"Is this what happens when you two team up for real? Man, I thought you were hangin' out with you mama on the ship," the southerner said.

"Everyone does, Bones, that was the point. Amanda is his alibi for why no one on ship has seen him since we left," she said before looking at Sarek. "The other Vulcans?"

"What Vulcans?" her best friend asked.

"The Romulans that you encountered on the science vessel are rogue Vulcans. They intend to destroy Romulus," Sarek answered. "They are enroute to the Senate." Amanda was the one who figured that out. There was no way Romulans would know about that science vessel or it's mission but there were some Vulcans in the know and all it took was one person to pass that information along to a friend.

Jim smiled, "Alright, lady and gentlemen, let's go."

* * *

"Saved Romulus and they didn't even thank us," Gavin muttered from his seat next to her on the shuttle.

Thanks to Sarek, they were able to convince the Romulans that they really were trying to help. The ambassador was talking to the senator when one of the Vulcans lost it and tried to detonate the Red Matter. Luckily, another of the Vulcans was more reasonable. He disabled the bomb before they got to the meeting.

The man, Varik, explained that he lost his wife and part of his hand in the destruction of Vulcan but he realized that destroying Romulus wouldn't solve anything. He told the senator that Jim was right to try and recover the dangerous substance because it shouldn't be allowed to exist. She was happy that someone else had half a brain. Sadly, the Romulans didn't give a shit.

The Starfleet officers and Sarek were pardoned, warned to stay away and allowed to leave Romulus. The three Vulcans who started this mess were sentenced to life imprisonment. The Romulans also decided to keep the Red Matter and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"They let us leave, Cupcake. That's enough for me," she said with a yawn, resting her head on his shoulder. This shit is exhausting.

"I know. It's just… you know the brass is gonna be pissed that we didn't recover the Red Matter," he said.

"I know," Jim mumbled.

"Are you going to sleep on me?" Gavin asked with a chuckle.

"Yep. Wake me up when we get home," she whispered. He pressed a kiss on her temple. Usually, it would be a completely inappropriate display of affection but considering the people with them in the shuttle were basically family, they weren't gonna worry about it.

"Yes, ma'am."


	25. Chapter 25

"Captain, I take full responsibility for…" Scotty started. Jim cut him off.

"We're at Red Alert, Mister Scott. You should be in engineering," she said. He started apologizing to her for something but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what.

"Scotty, what are you talking about?" Jim asked.

"Well, ma'am, the… my experiment with the… The Red Alert's not my fault?"

"No. Whatever you're up to, it can wait. We got Klingons to worry about," she told him. "Sulu, talk to me."

"Almost in visual range, ma'am," the pilot told her.

"They're hailing us. Audio only," Uhura said.

"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation starship Enterprise. Identify yourselves," Jim said over the comm system. She was met with static and a handful of Klingon words, a few curses was all Jim understood. "What are they saying?"

"It's breaking up but it's something about an execution," the chief communications officer told her.

"They jumped to warp, Captain. We lost 'em," Sulu said.

"Chekov, scan the system," she ordered.

"Aye, Keptin," the wiz-kid was all over it. Jim's first instinct was to follow them but she wasn't risking a war with the Klingons. She would have to settle with figuring out what they were doing here. "I have something."

"What is that?" Jim asked as he put a planet up on the viewscreen.

"It is the third planet in the system, Iota Germinorum Four. Small. M class. Unexplored," Chekov told her.

"No advanced life forms to speak of but there appears to be an abundance of local flora and fauna," Spock said. "There also appears to be several examples of advanced technology scattered across the planet in regular intervals."

"You think the Klingons left them there?" she asked her first officer.

"I think it is a possibility. I am, at the moment, unable to determine the nature or purpose of the technology," Spock said.

"Beaming one up is probably a bad idea," Jim said, mostly to herself. "Field trip it is. Chekov, plot a course. Mister Sulu, full impulse."

* * *

"Whoa," Jim whispered when she, Chekov, Spock and Scotty beamed to the surface. There were the most beautiful plants she'd ever seen, they were all kinds of vivid colors and crazy shapes.

"This is wonderful," Pavel said with his thick accent, his 'w' sounding more like a 'v'. After some advice to keep their helmets on from Spock, they followed the readings towards one of the Klingon devices and some kind of biomass.

"Don't touch anything," she ordered. The last thing she wanted was to carry someone back to the ship and explain to Bones that some plant ate an arm or something.

"Hey, would ye look at that," Scotty said before he picked up a Tribble. "This is just like that furball I beamed to little Christopher back at the Academy."

"Dude, what did I just say?" Jim asked.

"Fascinating," Spock said behind her. She turned to look at him and he had a Tribble too.

"Seriously? I said don't touch anything. We got a potentially dangerous Klingon device to worry about. You guys can play with the Tribbles later," she said, giving her first and second officer a look. Both men put the furballs back and they continued their trek.

"Only a few meters ahead, Captain," Spock informed her.

"Good. The sooner we get outta here the better," Jim stopped short as they came to a clearing full of Tribbles and a device. "Am I the only one who thinks that looks like a bomb?"

"You are not, Captain," her first officer said with a touch of surprise.

"Why would the Klingons bomb these little guys?" she asked. They were harmless as far as she knew. Jim's only ever seen one of the furry little things, Sam had it in his room on the Aldrin.

"I dinnae know, lass," Scotty muttered.

"It is only speculation, but the Klingon message we intercepted referred to a 'sworn enemy' of the Empire. Perhaps it they meant these creatures," Spock said.

"You picked a weird moment to get a sense of humor," Jim muttered.

"Humor was not my intent, Captain. It appears that these creatures are capable of spontaneous asexual replication. I believe the area was less occupied when the Klingons left this weapon here. The Tribbles would pose a threat to the biosphere of any non-native planet they arrived on," the half-Vulcan told her.

"So, you're saying that the Klingons could've been drowning in Tribbles," Jim said.

"Yes, Captain," Spock said.

"Scotty?" she looked at the engineer.

"Definitely a bomb, lass. A very big, very well-built bomb. It's gonna take a minute to find the off switch," Scotty said. Before Jim could say anything, they all heard a loud rumbling growl. All four officers looked in the direction it came from. It was definitely not the Tribbles.

"Scotty, Chekov, get that thing defused. Spock, keep your eyes open. Whatever that thing was, it was close," Jim ordered. "And it sounds hungry." Scotty and Chekov got back to work while she and Spock drew their phasers.

* * *

"You want to tell me why you violated quarantine protocols and beamed one of those things to Earth?" Jim asked Scotty.

They managed to get the bomb defused and beamed themselves –and the bomb- back to the ship before the larger creature, the Tribbles natural predator, got close enough to do any damage to the away team. Unfortunately, Chris was on comm when they got back. The Academy and HQ were overrun with the little furballs. Cadet Christopher Scott admitted his involvement and said it was his Uncle Monty's idea to beam it from the Enterprise. The engineer's apologies from earlier now made sense.

"It was just a transwarp experiment, lass. I dinnae even know if it would work," he told her.

"So, you couldn't send something that doesn't violate quarantine protocols. You do realize that you just put both our careers on the line for an experiment, right?" She loves Scotty. God, does she love Scotty but this wasn't just him doing something crazy. If the brass was so inclined, they'd both be shipped back to Earth and court martialed.

"How was I supposed to know that the bloody thing would breed like some alien rabbit… Captain?" Scotty said.

"That's why we have quarantine regulations," Jim pointed out. "Spock, thoughts?"

"No one wants to see the creatures eliminated but the threat to Earth is dire," her first officer said. "We saw the Klingons attempted response."

"What would you recommend?" she asked.

"We should retrieve a Tribble and analyze it as quickly as possible to determine if there is a way to arrest its ability to reproduce. Then, relay that information to Admiral Pike."

"Hendorff to Kirk," the comm in the room came to life.

"Yea, Cupcake?" Jim answered.

"Ma'am, we broke down the Klingon device to study it and found a stowaway. Before we knew it, engineering was covered a bunch of furball… things. They're everywhere," her boyfriend told her.

"Of course they are," she sighed, looking at Scotty. If the man could hide, he'd be gone judging by the look on his face.

"I'm keeping engineering on emergency lockdown. No one in or out but these things keep multiplying," Gavin said.

"Get everyone out of engineering. I'm not gonna let you guys drown in Tribbles. Get one, _only_ _one_ , of those things and meet me in the lab closest to Bones' office. I'll be there as soon as I wrap this up."

"Aye, Captain," the security officer said before he closed the connection.

* * *

"Your wish is my command," Gavin said when she stepped into the lab.

"Where's Bones?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Right here," her best friend walked over and handed her a glass container holding a Tribble.

"Please tell me you guys found something?" Jim asked.

"Of course we did. Your boyfriend's not a half bad lab assistant," Bones said. "Might have to get him outta that redshirt one day."

"I get him outta that redshirt every day," she quipped. Bones gave her a look.

"You set yourself up for that one, doc," Gavin chuckled.

"Infants. Anyway, I figured out what makes these things tick," the doctor said as he pointed to the screen next to Jim. "They don't have teeth but that cartilage thing at the bottom, beneath the fur, absorbs food."

"I retrieved grain from the planet's surface. I believe it is the creature's food source," Spock said from behind her. An alarm went off and Bones looked at her.

"Its life signs are failing. What did you do?" he asked, reaching for the container in her hands.

"Stood here and stared at Gavin's ass," she quipped. Whoever designed the uniform pants needed a commendation. Cupcake's ears and the back of his neck turned pink, she could tell that he was trying not to laugh, even though he didn't turn to look at her. "Seriously, I didn't do anything."

"I'm still blaming you," Bones grumbled. "That's the damnedest thing. I wonder what happened."

"Nature took its course, Doctor," Spock said. "I believe the creatures have a short lifespan, a matter of days."

"Sounds like they reproduce crazy fast in order to main the species," Gavin said.

"That is what I also surmise, Mister Hendorff," the half-Vulcan said.

"Surrounded by smart people, I'm so lucky," Jim said. Cupcake smirked and mouthed, 'Just wait 'til later.' "I'm guessing that we can't wait for them to die off. Any idea how we stop them?"

"I do have an idea, Captain. Provided that Mister Scott is agreeable," her first officer said.

* * *

"I cannae believe yer making me go in there," Scotty groaned.

"Your fault," she said.

"Aye, lass, I know. Let's just hope this works," he said. Spock's idea was to freeze the Tribbles. The temp would still be habitable for humans, just really cold. Since Scotty started it, he was the person they sent in to man the controls.

"Computer, disable engineering lockdown. Captain Authorization: Kirk-eight-echo-two," Jim said.

"Lockout disabled," the computer informed her. The main door opened and a flood of Tribbles came pouring out.

"Wow," the captain said as she moved against the wall and –sorta- out of the way. "Hendorff, Prescott, Rand, and whoever else is in this passageway, secure the loose ones."

"Aye, Captain," the two security officers and the yeoman said as they got to work. Scotty got to his task as well. Jim locked engineering down again once the chief engineer was inside.

"If this doesn't work we're gonna die in the dumbest way possible," Bones muttered after a few minutes.

"Then, I have good news, Doctor," Spock said as he read the PADD in his hands. "The temperature is having the desired effect. As it drops, so does the activity from the creatures inside engineering."

"That is good," Bones said.

"Depends on how you define 'good'. I gotta comm Chris. I feel like a kid who's about to get sent to my room without dessert for something my brother did."

"That's a good one, kid," Bones told her. "It won't be too bad. None of us can ever really be mad at you or Scotty, especially Pike.

* * *

"What are you hiding behind your back, Cupcake?" she asked when he stepped in her quarters.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"You're a horrible liar," Jim said. "Don't make me come over there."

"What if I want you to come over here?" Gavin asked. She sat her PADD on the floor next to her, stood up and walked over to him.

"Here I am," she said as she looked up at him.

"This is for you," he said before placing a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing in her hands.

"You got me a cupcake?" Jim asked. He slowly shook his head. "You made me a cupcake! Why? How?"

"Because I felt like it. Took three tries to get it right too. As for the how… I talked to your mother," Gavin told her.

"Wait, this is my mom's chocolate cake recipe?" she asked. He nodded. "Oh my God. I don't even have this recipe!"

"What can I say, Kirk women like me," Gavin said with a smirk. Jim pressed a kiss against his lips and smiled.

"You wanna see how much this Kirk woman likes you?"

"Whatcha have in mind?" he asked.

"Plenty. All of which you are overdressed for."


	26. Chapter 26

"Are you watching me sleep?" Jim asked when she rolled over thirty minutes before her alarm was supposed to go off. She didn't expect the pair of blue eyes that were looking at her.

"Yep. You're beautiful when you sleep," Gavin whispered. "I mean, you're always beautiful but when you're asleep you're relaxed. It's like the weight of the universe isn't resting on your shoulders. You actually look like a twenty-five year old."

"Are you turning into a sap on me, Cupcake?" she asked.

"Nope. I'm just calling it like I see it, babe," he told her. "Even at the Academy, the only time you'd slowdown was when you were asleep. Though, you weren't nearly as relaxed back then."

"Your fault," Jim muttered against his chest.

"My fault? How?" Gavin gave her a look.

"My subconscious would ask a whole bunch of questions every time we slept within five feet of each other. You've called me on it before. Overthinking in my sleep. I don't do that anymore. Which, coincidentally, is also your fault," she told him.

"I used to do that too, you know. My brain would scream at me to ask you out. I finally listened but it took a nudge from Gaila," he said with a smile.

"She's such a matchmaker," Jim chuckled.

"I just think she wants her friends to be happy. Especially you," Cupcake sighed.

"I'm not that special," she muttered.

"Yes, you are," Gavin said before dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "You'll see it one of these days and then you'll be like 'Gavin was right'."

"You keep thinking that. You know," Jim kissed his chest. "I have some time before I'm supposed to meet Sulu in the gym."

"Yea?" he asked.

"Yea," she smiled. "Wanna help me pass the time?"

"Like you really need to ask me that."

* * *

"You're so annoying," Sulu said.

"Why? What the hell did I do?" she asked with a swing.

"You got that stupid love-struck look on your face," he said as he blocked her.

After seeing him on the drill with his retractable katana/rapier hybrid, Jim talked Sulu into teaching her how to fight with the cool sword. She's never had Kendo lessons before but the more they practiced, the more in love with the martial art she was. They were using staffs instead of swords for the moment but it was the same principle.

"Do we need to find you a nice girl or boy, Hikaru?" Jim asked her friend.

"If you see one… of either, let me know. And no, I will not date Pasha. He's completely straight and he's like my little brother. I don't know where people got that one," he muttered the last part.

"You're hot and you're friends, that's enough. My favorite rumor at the Academy was that me, Gaila, Ny and Chapel were all part of Bones' harem," she said with a laugh.

"I liked that one, though. Oh, and the one about me and Gary was pretty funny," Hikaru said with a smile. Mitchell was more Jim's type than Sulu's. To say they missed him was an understatement. It was like a Musketeer was missing. Just someone else Nero took from her.

"Lieutenant Gold," Jim said after a few minutes. Sulu raised an eyebrow. "Brunette with green eyes. The astrophysicist."

"Oh, her. She's hot," he said.

"She's single and you got that whole PhD in astrophysics and a master's in interstellar navigation thing going for you. You should talk to her," she said.

"You really think I got a shot?" her friend asked.

"Couldn't hurt to try," Jim reminded him.

"You're worse than Gaila," Sulu muttered.

"I am not. If it was up to her, we'd all be married already."

* * *

"Go back to the ship, Bones," Jim ordered her friend after a bomb went off ten feet from where they were standing. The Enterprise was on a medical supply run to the cold and wet Zald. The Zaldans weren't part of the Federation but they had a good relationship with the UFP.

"I'm not going anywhere, Jim, there're injured people here," he told her before moving to help a woman a few feet away from them. She wanted to argue with him but he was a doctor and there were people to help.

"What can I do?" she relented, even though her 'spidey-sense' was tingling. There was something very off about all of this.

"Triage," Bones said before getting back to work. Jim nodded and ordered the three security officers with them –Price, Prescott and Zahra- to do the same. Catching Prescott's gaze, she gave him a nod to the silent question. Yes, something was going on.

"Bones!" Jim called when she noticed the unfamiliar transporter pattern that wrapped around him. She launched herself in his direction, maybe if she could touch him, she'd be beamed out too. But she didn't make it time. "Bones…"

"What the hell?" Prescott said as his hand wrapped around her arm and pulled Jim to her feet as the captain stared at the spot her best friend just disappeared from.

"He's gone."

* * *

"It's a group that calls themselves the Sons of Dolium. They're separatists," the head of Zaldan security, Helina Kavros told her. "They have their ideals and Zaldan people hold no ill will towards them." Zaldans are notoriously honest, to the point that there was almost no crime. Jim would bet that's why a terrorist group didn't seem to bother the people, even if it pissed Jim off.

The young captain glared at the other woman, she didn't really care who they were, she just wanted her best friend back. Luckily, Spock and the other senior staff members were there to ask questions because Jim wasn't in the mood for polite conversation and who knows what she would've said about the Sons of Dolium using Bones as some kind of bargaining chip. Jim figured that a doctor as a hostage was beneficial. As pissed off as he'll be about being kidnapped and transporters, Bones wouldn't deny medical attention to someone who needed it, even if the people are terrorists.

"We should use this ship to find and destroy their base of operations," Kavros said, pulling Jim out of her thoughts.

"No," the captain said. Everyone in the conference room looked at her. "Aside from violating a crap-ton of regulations, I will not wage a war in Lieutenant Commander McCoy's name. He'd hypo my ass into next year and I'd let him. This is an internal dispute that the Enterprise was dragged into and once we have our officer back, the Zaldans can do what they want. Spock, Scotty and Chekov start with how the… Sons of Dolium beamed him out and work from there. Giotto and Uhura, go with Kavros and talk to the men in custody. M'Benga, if it wasn't already clear, you're the acting CMO. You're all dismissed."

* * *

"Your knuckles are bleeding," Gavin said from behind her.

"You're observant," Jim grunted as she hit the bag again. So far, it's been twenty-two hours and no Bones.

"That's me. Observant," he said with a shrug. "I'm not gonna bother asking if you're okay. I know you're not. But… You can't beat yourself up, Jim."

"I was right there. _Right there_ ," she said as turned to look at him. "He's my best friend. He wouldn't even be out here if it wasn't for me."

"That's not even remotely true," her boyfriend said as he checked her hands. "I know he likes to say that but McCoy gets a kick outta this stuff as much as the rest of us do. And I know that as pissed off as he is about being taken, he'd be even more pissed off if it was you instead. I talked to him a little after that last tour on the Farragut and he was on the verge of tears just thinking about the possibility of you dying out there. We'll get him back, Jim. He's a pain in the ass but he's our pain in the ass."

"How can you be so sure?" Jim asked as she leaned her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I've seen you pull off miracles with less, sweetheart. It's what you do. McCoy's your family and you don't give up on family. I honestly feel bad for anyone who gets in your way," Gavin chuckled. "Come on. Someone should take a look at your hands. Tape's right there and you didn't even bother to wrap you're hands. I should kick your ass."

"Yea, yea, you can try," she said with a chuckle. "Thank you for making me feel better."

"Anytime."

* * *

Jim doesn't know what the hell happened but one minute the sensors were picking up intruders on the ship and next she was fighting some man on her bridge. He landed a hit to her head that left her dazed enough for him to beam out with her in tow.

"Jim," Bones said as she managed to blink her eyes open and attempt to clear her head.

"Hey. Where are we?" she asked.

"You're guests of the Son of Dolium. I'm Kainik Gila. Welcome," the man said to her.

"You beat all your guests over the head and kidnap them? That's a crappy way to make friends," Jim grunted as Bones poked a tender spot on her head.

"Because the Federation's hands are clean. You're here helping the Zaldans," Gila said.

"Not really. It was a trade that's been in effect for decades, longer than I've been alive. You're the ones who kidnapped my doctor and forced my hand. We'd already be gone," she told him. "All bringing me here did was add to your problems. You kill us and you'll just make us martyrs for the Zaldans. A Starfleet captain and her doctor, kidnapped and killed on a medical supply run. Oh, and there's the problem of the Federation. I saved a Earth from being destroyed a few months ago. You really think they won't get involved?"

"No, Captain, that's exactly what I think."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers are so much fun!


	27. Chapter 27

"This is a war for independence, Captain. I am no different than your world's George Washington," Gila said.

"Washington was a military general not a terrorist," Jim pointed out as she examined the shackles around her arms.

"The difference between winners and losers. If you win you are called a general. If you lose..." Gila said, Bones cut him off.

"No, if you kill innocent people, you're a terrorist and there is no winning in that. Washington was a General who led and fought soldiers. You bombed a café just to kidnap a doctor when all you had to do was ask for my help. Don't compare yourself to President Washington, he's way out of your league," Bones growled. Jim figured he'd be pissed but she hasn't seen him this mad… ever.

"How much innocent blood has been spilled for freedom in your Federation, Doctor?" Gila asked. "You relax in the comfort gained from those battles and have the audacity to frown on my immorality. I am willing to die for my freedom. And kill for it," the man across from the two Starfleet officers said.

"You're a coward. Killing people is easy. Fighting when no one will listen is hard, I know from experience. Don't let my youth fool you, I'm just as much a soldier as you are, where we differ is in our causes. I fight for those who can't fight for themselves. You would kill those people because they were in your way," Jim said Gila. "The men and women you bombed yesterday did nothing to you. The owner of the café, who now has to rebuild his life did nothing to you. My officers did nothing to you. I hate to break it to you but political power was never won at the barrel of a gun."

He smiled, "We'll see, Captain."

Gila left the room and Jim looked at Bones. He was okay from what she could tell but he was all kinds of pissed off. She sighed, "You okay?"

"Just peachy. He's crazy, Jim. I thought maybe he had a point at first but the more he talks the crazier it is," Bones said.

"No, he's not. His group wants to be separate from the others. To do that, they need some power. Alone, they have none. With us here, they have leverage. He's using us to get the Zaldan's and the Federation's attention. Sadly, he has it," Jim told her best friend.

"He's gonna wish he didn't," the southerner grumbled. Jim laughed. "What?"

"Spock said something similar this morning. 'Having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting'."

"Never thought I'd agree with the hobgoblin," Bones muttered.

"You know what they say about great minds."

* * *

"Why aren't you more worried," Bones asked her after about an hour. Jim was laying on the floor staring up at the ceiling.

"You have met my first officer right? Or the chief helm officer? The engineering savant? Oh... My boyfriend?" Jim asked. "Separately scary, jointly terrifying."

"That should be the ship's tagline. The USS Enterprise, we're separately scary and jointly terrifying, evil-doers beware," he chuckled. "I guess since they were already working on finding me, Gila taking you only helped them out, didn't it?" And that brain was why he was her best friend.

"Yep. We identified the transporter signal but we couldn't get a location. These idiots showed their hand when they beamed onto the ship. I bet the wiz-kid already figured out where we are and there's a plan to pull us out," she shrugged.

"Right. Personal reminder, never mess with Chekov," the doctor said with a chuckle.

"Uhura… she scares the crap outta me and I ain't afraid to admit it," Jim said honestly. Bones opened his mouth to say something when all the lights went out. "Looks like the Calvary is here." Jim pulled a pin out of her hair and undid the shackles. "Remind me to thank Prescott for teaching me how to pick an old school lock."

"I'll add it to my to-do list," he muttered. Jim got herself free before she undid Bones' shackles too.

Together, they moved out of the room, which wasn't locked. Since she was fuzzy when they brought her here, Bones had to lead the way. It turned out to be a good thing when Gila slammed into her. Unlike the fight on the ship, where he wasn't trying to do too much damage, he was now trying to kill her.

"Your day not turning out how you wanted," Jim said, ducking a wild punch. He was losing it and it showed in his fighting.

"You can still be a martyr, Captain," he growled with a blow to her ribs. Why does everyone keep doing that? It didn't matter because he got his arm around her, pulled a phaser and held it to her head as a team from the Enterprise rounded the corner. "I will kill her."

Giotto looked at Jim and lowered his weapon, "We can talk about this."

"No, we won't," Jim said. "He's crazy. He's a terrorist. He kidnapped my best friend. And more importantly, he was on my ship without my permission."

"You think I won't kill you, Captain?" Gila asked.

"I know you won't kill me, Gila," Jim said with a smile that he couldn't see. Her eyes met Giotto's and she knew that everything was going as planned. "Z. Cupcake." She didn't have to see them to know they were there. Almost instantly, the weight against her back disappeared as the two security officers manhandled the terrorist. "Thanks, guys."

"Captain," they both said. Gavin giving her a once over for injuries.

"How did you know they would be there?" Gila asked as Zahra cuffed him.

"I'm a tactician, I make a point of planning ahead. You really think I make a habit of getting beat up and kidnapped? Bless your heart," she said, using the old southern phrase that Bones' mama uses when someone does or says something stupid. "Someone on my planet once said that the right man in the wrong place can make all the difference. I'm not a man but the point is still valid."

"You crazy, idiotic… you let him kidnap you?" Bones asked.

"Of course I did," she shrugged.

"You couldn't have known that we would come after you," he said.

"Yea. I was fifty/fifty on that one. Taking a Starfleet doctor, while a big deal, isn't really gonna get you anything but the captain of the flagship was a much better bet when you realized that we weren't gonna yield. Took a gamble, it paid off. Sadly, for you, it means you now have to deal Federation authorities," the young captain said.

"You can't do that," Kavros said.

"Actually, I can. Lieutenants, if you'd be so kind," she ordered the pair of security officers. Zahra opened her communicator, talked to the ship and was beamed out with Gavin and Gila a few seconds later. "Now, you," Jim looked at Kavros. "Your people need to figure out what they're doing. I doubt the Federation is gonna overlook any of this. Which also means the trade agreements will be on hold until an investigation is completed. My advice, give them some land or a colony and agree to leave each other alone."

* * *

"I can't believe you let them take you," Bones said when they were back on the ship.

"If you can't believe that than you really don't know me that well," she countered.

"Okay. I can believe it. I still don't get why you did it though," he sighed before pouring himself a drink from that stash that he usually hides in his office.

"It was the best way to find you. If it makes you feel better, Sulu was the only person who actually agreed with me. I can't tell you how many times Spock called it illogical. Gavin didn't like the idea but he still went along with it," Jim said with a sigh. "I know we're not the kind of people who talk about our feelings but you gotta know that I love you. You're like my other big brother."

"You're getting soft on me, kid," Bones muttered.

"Maybe a little. The last two days… don't do that to me again. I'll try not to do it either," she said, letting some of her emotions show for a moment. His features softened and he nodded.

"You got a deal."

* * *

"I'm perfectly fine, Cupcake. Bones patched me up already," she told him. He still insisted on pulling her out of her uniform to check. "I think you just want me out of my clothes."

"While I do enjoy this very beautiful body, I am just making sure you're okay. You scare the crap out of me sometimes. Even though I know you're gonna go something crazy, my heart still leaps into my throat when you do," he told her.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Jim asked. When he nodded, she sighed. "I'm scared all the time. I just pretend not to be. I'm the captain, the immovable center of this crew. I can show weakness to a point but I can't fall apart."

"You can fall apart with me. You know that," Gavin whispered.

"I know. I just don't want to have to," she told him. For a long minute, they just stared at each other, then Jim yawned.

"You need to get some sleep," he told her.

"Are you gonna stay?" Jim muttered. Contrary to the rumors, Gavin doesn't actually live in her room. He's there a lot but he does have his own quarters and he does sleep in them sometimes.

"You want me to?"

"Yea," she answered.

"Then, I'll stay."


	28. Chapter 28

"'With cerulean blue eyes, long golden blonde hair and full pink lips, Captain James Kirk looks more like a girl destined for life as a fashion model then an officer. But a Starfleet officer is exactly what she is. The story of her birth is ingrained in Federation history, her father, Lieutenant Commander George Samuel Kirk, giving his life moments after James was born to save his crew on the USS Kelvin. The newest piece of the story took place on a vivid February afternoon when the youngest Kirk fought to protect Earth and bring about justice for Vulcan and for her father…' Yadda yadda yadda," Gavin said as he joined Jim and the gang at their table in the galley. Cupcake handed Jim his PADD.

She sighed, "They really made me Person of the Year. Idiots."

"Who?" Sulu asked.

"Time," Jim sighed. The magazine –with was only in digital form these days- has been around for centuries profiling everything that ever mattered. "At least they get their facts right. The tabloids are annoyingly wrong."

"Didn't you do another magazine?" Bones asked.

"Interview. I only agreed to do it because Sam wrote it and he got to pick the holos they used," she told her friends. "We just sat up all night on the comm and talked. You didn't see it?"

"Nope. I've been a bit busy," her best friend said with a nudge to the Orion next to him. Jim wasn't touching that one.

"It's on there," Gavin told her. Jim's hands flew though his personal files, smiling at holos of them together before she pulled up the spread she did for Interview. It was only a handful of pictures and an article written by her big brother. She handed the PADD to Bones.

"'My Real Life Superhero' by Doctor George Kirk Jr," Gaila whispered, reading over Bones' shoulder. "That's cute."

"'If people don't like me, that's their business.' Nice quote. This article is pretty good," Bones said as he read through it.

"Well, Sam is a genius. It was probably easy," Scotty said.

"Nope," Jim shook her head. "He said it was harder than he thought it would be. He had to put everything he knew about my life into a couple thousand words."

"I think he nailed it. Your humor, your brilliance, your dedication and your adventurousness all come across," her best friend said.

"Did Bones just say something nice? I think I need to comm M'Benga and have him check you over," Jim teased.

"Watch it, kid, or I'll hypo you and let you drool on the table," Bones said.

"And there's my bestie."

* * *

The Enterprise was assigned to survey the planet Phadeus. When they got there, Spock did his thing, taking detailed scans of the planet and reported his findings to Jim. Phadeus was an M class planet, the last survey was done by Starfleet ship five years before. In the report, it stated that the civilization on the planet had entered something like the Roman Empire from Earth's history. Roughly thirty million people live there and most of the population is concentrated in the southern hemisphere of the planet. Spock noted that it will most likely take a few thousand years before the civilization achieves the technological advances necessary for first contact.

"Maybe we should go down there and take a look," Jim muttered.

"That would be unwise, Captain, as our arrival would almost certainly alter the course of their evolution," her first officer said. "If your intent is to stretch your legs, you would be better served with a walk in the arboretum."

"I wasn't…" Jim started but Spock gave her a look. "Fine. I was gonna say that."

"Keptin, I'm picking up some kind of high-frequency energy field is originating from the surface," Chekov told her.

"Whatever the field is, it is disrupting communications," Uhura said. "Scotty says it's interfering with the transporters as well."

"Location, Mister Chekov," Jim ordered. The kid's hands flew over the console. "We're gonna need to take a shuttle down."

"Captain, that is a violation of the Prime Directive," Spock reminded her.

"You said that they were like the Romans, meaning they don't the tech for a high-frequency energy device. Someone is giving the planet an evolutionary boost. I want to know who and why. The Prime Directive is no longer relevant, Commander," Jim said. "Sulu, you're with us. Uhura, you have the con."

"Captain, I don't think it's a good idea for all three of you to leave the ship when we're having problems with the comms," Uhura said.

Spock nodded, "I concur."

"It's just a simple recon mission," Jim said. "We'll be back before you know it."

* * *

"Sound off," Jim ordered as she pushed herself up. Jim, Spock, Sulu and Cupcake took a shuttle down to the surface when they were attacked by an unknown source. Jim ordered Sulu to put them down but they were hit again and crashed.

"I am here, Captain," Spock said.

"I'm good," Gavin said. "Sulu's out though. Concussion."

"You got him?" she asked. Jim noticed that Gavin had the medkit by his knee.

"Yea. He's stable," Cupcake told her. "We should get him to sickbay as soon as possible."

"Copy that. Spock, any idea on what hit us?" Jim asked.

"No, Captain. I did not detect anything prior to the attack and I do not detect anything at this moment. Our attackers, whoever they are, appear to be well camouflaged. I suggest that we maintain a defensive position near the shuttle and attempt to contact the Enterprise," Spock said.

"Nope. I'm not gonna sit here and wait for whatever brought us down to come finish us off. Our best way back is to find out what's going on," she said. "And we'll be able to attract attention away from the shuttle. Hendorff can keep an eye on Sulu." Her boyfriend gave her a nod.

Spock relented and followed her out of the shuttle. The pair made their way down a small path when phaser fire hit the dirt in front of her boots. Jim's hand hovered over her holstered phaser as a bunch of alien creatures surrounded them. One of the aliens used a tricorder and ordered them to identify themselves.

"Where'd they get Federation tech?" Jim whispered to Spock.

"I do not know, Captain," he whispered back. The creature looked at them both before ordering them to identify themselves again.

"I'm Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation starship Enterprise. Now tell me where…"

"There's two names I haven't heard in a while. Look at you… Little Jimmy's all grown up," a man said as he stepped out from the shadows. Jim sucked in a breath.

"Uncle Bobby? You're dead. You died… I went to your funeral when I was seven," Jim told the man in front of her. Captain Robert April died commanding the old Enterprise two decades ago.

"Tales of my death have been greatly exaggerated," the old officer said. "How's my ship?"

"Decommissioned in '55. I got the upgrade," she told him with a smirk. "Mom and Chris are never gonna believe this." Bob April was Chris' old CO and friends with her mother.

"Pike's still fightin' the good fight. If you got the flagship, what ship did they give him?" he asked as he gave her an appraising look.

"None. He's an admiral. Officer-in-charge of the Constitution Class," she said.

"Never thought I'd see the day they put him on desk duty," Bob said.

"He was in a wheelchair until three months ago. Spinal injury… long story," Jim told the man who used to give her candy and a wink when her mother wasn't paying attention. "What the hell happened here? And why'd your buddies shoot us down?"

"They didn't. The ones who shot you down are those we're fighting against. You kids just crash-landed smackdab in the middle of a civil war. Luckily, you landed on the right side of the fight," the other captain told her. "Now if you'll just accompany me back…"

And explosion went off and sent a bunch of Robert's friends flying. The older captain wrapped a protective arm around Jim and tried to shield her from getting hurt. If she had any questions about this man's identity, that one action made up her mind that he really was Robert April.

"We need to move," she said.

"Cover's this way, kiddo. Follow me," Bob said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"I can't. I got men back there," Jim said. "I won't abandon them."

"My men have them, Jimmy. Let's go," the older officer told her.

"Your men?"

"This is not the time or place for this," Bob said. "We have to move." Another explosion went off and Jim reluctantly went with Bob. 'Gavin and Hikaru will be fine. Gavin and Hikaru will be fine,' she told herself. Jim, Spock, Bob and his friends headed towards a cave. Robert took her phaser and used it to seal the entrance of the cave, blocking the hostiles from following them.

"Now we're trapped," Jim muttered.

"No, we're not. I know my way around," Bob said as he handed Jim her weapon. She and Spock shared a look before following the other captain further into the cave.

"Since we have some time, you mind telling me what the hell you're doing here and why everyone back home thinks you're dead?" she asked.

"It's a long story, kiddo, but for you, I'll tell it," the man said. "Eighteen years or so ago, my Enterprise was the first Federation starship to visit Phadeus. Like most crazy missions, it started out as a routine survey. I'd been in command for around a decade, felt more at home on the ship than on the ground. You aren't there yet."

"I am. I usually went with mom or Chris if the assignment allowed for it. Going to Cochrane Institute was the longest I've ever been on the ground," Jim said. She always liked being on ships more than being planet-side.

"The Cochrane Institute of Alpha Centauri?" he asked.

"Yep. PhD in Warp Physics… and some other stuff," she shrugged.

"Impressive, kiddo," Bob smiled. He led them through a hologram and through a blast door.

"Whoa," Jim whispered. They were in a large hive-like cavern. Robert ushered them towards an alcove that she figured was his and offered her a seat.

"Where was I? Right. The Phadean civilization had entered into their Iron Age. That's when the Shadows popped up. Subspecies of the Phadean people, the only real difference is the color of their skin. That's all you need on any world, I suppose. My away team was observing the planet when we witnessed the Shadows as they slaughtered the others. Nothing we could do but watch. Say it with me: The Prime Directive. A rule that really means 'sit back and watch.' Everything's on here." Bob handed her a PADD.

"Those are…" Jim's voice caught in her throat.

"Children. Yea, I know," the older man said. He didn't know about her on time Tarsus, so she knew he wasn't trying to play her. "The Shadows split 'em into two groups; food or pets. That's when I said screw the regulations. Lied to my first officer on my whereabouts, to as much tech and weapons as I could, relieved the ensign in charge of the transporter room and beamed down to the surface."

"You saved them," she whispered.

"I did what I could. Gave them enough stuff to mount a counter-offensive," he told them.

"That is an egregious violation of the Prime Directive," Spock pointed out. "Your first officer should have relieved you for dereliction of duty and the ship returned to Earth. Yet, here you are."

"What's your relationship like?" Robert motioned between the two of them.

"Pretty tight. His mom thinks we're scary together," Jim answered. "Commander?"

"I agree with your assessment, Captain," Spock said.

"That's good. I hope it ends up as strong as mine was with Alex Marcus," Bob said.

"Admiral Marcus," she said. "Commander, Starfleet."

"The top spot, go figure. Back in the day, he was my closest friend," the old captain told her. "I'm guessing that's why he didn't detain me and told everyone I was dead. The fact that you still believe it means he didn't break my trust."

"So, you went native and began leading an alien rebellion," Jim said.

"Almost sounds noble when you put it like that," Bob chuckled.

"Where did you get the additional supplies?" Spock asked. "There are far more than you described."

"Starfleet loses things all the time, I just happen to be good at finding them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The magazines they're talking about are in the polyvore collection at the end.  
> www.polyvore.com/cgi/collection?id=4686498
> 
> This chapter is an adaptation of the Countdown to Darkness.


	29. Chapter 29

"You lied to me," Jim growled.

"Would you have come with me if I didn't? I need your help, Jim," Bob said.

"I need to get them back," she said as she looked through the binoculars again. Gavin and Hikaru were captured by the Shadows. Robert lied to them in order to get Jim and Spock to go with him.

"Someone has been giving the Shadows heavy duty firepower. One final push and we're done. I need you to help me end this," he told her. "They can't defend against a bombardment from a starship in…"

"No. What the hell is with everybody trying to drag my ship into their battles? We're on a mission of peace and all everyone wants to do is use my people for war. I am not using the Enterprise to wipe out people who shouldn't even know we exist," Jim declared.

"Spoken like a true believer in the Prime Directive," Bob growled. "Like it or not, you're involved. You have been since you brought that shuttle down here."

"I'm getting my men back as quick and as quiet as I can and then I'm tossing you in the brig," Jim told the man she still thought of as her Uncle Bobby. "Spock, let's… Go." Of course, her first officer was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"You took your sweet time. Did you get everything I asked for?" Bob asked the blonde woman who stepped off the shuttle with Uhura.

"And then some. Of course, it's all being held on the Enterprise. Took all my charm just to get her to let me come down here," the woman said to Bob before turning her attention to Jim. "You must be Kirk. Word gets around. Hero of the Federation. Youngest Captain in the fleet. I'm Mudd and I'm single."

"I'm not," Jim told the other blonde.

"Maybe when this is over I can meet the lucky guy," Bob said.

"If the Shadows don't kill him. He's one of the officers they grabbed," she said before looking at Uhura. "We got shot down. Spock and I got separated from Sulu and Hendorff, they were captured. Then we ran into Bob April. Yes, that Bob April. Spock went after the others without asking me."

"Alone?" Ny asked.

"No, not alone. We're gonna back him up. It's risky taking the shuttle but we don't have a ton of time," she told her friend. The other woman nodded her agreement.

"Jimmy, if you do this, I can't go with you. My people need me," Bob told her.

"And mine need me. Uhura, let's go."

* * *

"There they are," Uhura said. Jim looked at the scanners and fired phasers past the three officers. Setting the shuttle down between them and the Shadows' camp.

"Go get 'em," Jim said. Uhura got up and opened the hatch.

"Let's not make a habit of needing rescued, gentlemen," Uhura called to the others. Jim glanced back just as the three men joined them in the shuttle.

"Looks like I missed all the fun," she said as Sulu sat in the seat Uhura vacated.

"Oh, yea. It was a regular vacation," the helmsmen quipped.

"We did get to have a peaceful few hours," Gavin said from behind Jim's chair, his hands on her shoulders. She reached up and gave his hand a squeeze. "We're okay. Thanks for the rescue."

"We were in the neighborhood," she said. "Though, I think we all need to avoid getting captured for a while, it's exhausting."

"I concur, Captain," Spock said.

"I wouldn't say anything if I were you, Mister Spock," Jim said. Uhura was not happy about him taking risks like that.

"I will cease speaking, however, I found something you should see," her first officer said before he handed her a device.

"This is… We need to grab April," she sighed. "This is not good."

* * *

"How'd you like being the captain, Bonesy?"

When Uhura went to the surface, Jim figured that she left Scotty in charge. Walking onto the bridge and finding her best friend in the command chair was a bit of surprise. Of course, the shocker was that he did well in the chair. Maybe one day he'll command a medical ship or something.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You're what?" Jim asked. What did he do?

"I know I give you a lot of crap all the time but sitting in that chair, even for a few hours, is harder than I thought. I don't know how you do it, kid. There are seven hundred people on this ship and you remember names, jobs, info about them and their families. You know who is best for what mission. You deal with the brass. I couldn't do it," Bones sighed.

"It's what I signed up for. You just remember we had this conversation the next time you go to make some quip about me sitting pretty in my chair while you do all the hard work," she told him. "How are our guests?"

"Good. They've cleared decon. I just can't believe it's really Robert April. I ran the DNA through the system just to be sure. What are you gonna do about him?" her best friend asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," Jim sighed. "It's hard to reconcile the man my parents and Chris were friends with to the man he is now. We may not be related by blood but he's still my uncle. Every part of what he did down there is what I remember about him. He was always willing to help, even if it got him in trouble. That's where I got it from. Any ideas?"

"We could just let him go," Gavin said from the bio-bed behind her. "Like you said, he's trying to help people. The Prime Directive is blown to shit anyway."

"Or we could turn him in. He's a deserter, among other things," Sulu offered.

"Wouldn't you be?" Gavin asked. He glanced around the room before looking at Jim. "You know from personal experience how Starfleet Intelligence handles stuff like this."

"Reports are filed, everybody's ordered to forget and you never hear about it again or the whole story is just changed," she muttered. Jim didn't say Tarsus but all three men with her on this end of sickbay knew what she was talking about.

"And that was our colony," Gavin said.

"I gotta agree with the big guy. If SI covered up that massacre, on our own colony with our own people, you think anyone is gonna give a damn about the Phadeans?" Bones asked.

"But what about the stuff Spock found?" Sulu asked. "Do we forget about that?"

"Look, I'm not saying we start a war with them but," Gavin took a breath, "no one says we can't find a loophole to help April and his... people."

Bones sighed, "So, how do we help without helping?"

* * *

"Never thought I'd set foot on a Starfleet vessel again. She looks like she's worthy of her name," Bob said. "Is this the part where you arrest me as a deserter and take me back to San Fran?"

"No. I'm not gonna arrest you. I brought you here to honor your request for food and supplies to help your people on the surface," Jim said. "I do have some questions. Spock, show him."

"A Klingon tricorder," her first officer said as he held the device up. "I recovered this from one of the soldiers in the enemy camp. I also observed a number of weapons of Klingon origin. It would appear that the Klingons are supplying the Shadows' efforts to defeat you side."

"I know," Bob admitted.

"And you didn't tell us?" Jim asked.

"It was a tactical decision. I thought if I told you I needed your help to defeat a genocidal army trying to wipe out an innocent minority, which is true, I thought there was a chance that you would use the power of this ship to help," the other captain said.

"Instead of telling me that we stumbled into a proxy war with you waging a one-man fight against an army backed by the Klingons. How's that working out for you?" she asked.

"The Klingons are a violent expansionist race…" Bob started.

"Spare me. I'm not the little kid you remember and I'm well aware of what the Klingons can do. That doesn't mean you get lie to me and start a war using my ship. That's exactly what would happen if I fire on those soldiers," Jim told him.

"You can't be that naïve, Jim," the older officer said.

"I'm not. I know war is coming and I know that it's easier for the Klingons to save their soldiers for a fight against the Federation instead of wasting them to invade. That doesn't mean I'm dumb enough to start it," she said before looking at the half Bajorian woman next to Bob. "What about you, Mudd? Where do you keep getting Starfleet gear?"

"Galaxy is a big place. Even the fleet's been known to lose the keys to an outpost or two, especially in the outer systems," the woman told her. "You're not gonna arrest me, are you?"

"No," Jim sighed. "I'm keeping your ship though."

"But…" Mudd said but the young captain cut her off.

"I lost a shuttle in this mess. You want to leave, you can fix it. Look, my team is already getting stuff to beam down with you. It's not the bombardment you were hoping for but it's still a big risk," Jim said. "I will have to fill Chris in but he's good at editing what he tells the rest of the Admiralty. As far as anyone'll know, we lost that gear when the shuttle crashed and we lucky enough to save the officers on board. The guys are hammering out the details for their report now. It's the best I can do, Bobby."

"That's… that's not exactly what I was hoping for, kiddo, but I'll take it," he gave her a look. "I'm sorry about what I said down there. I can see you're not really a fan of the Prime Directive either."

"Of course I'm not. I've never been a fan of watching people get hurt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, The Prime Directive. I've never really been a fan of that regulation. I get why they have it but I never did like the idea of Kirk, Picard or any of the other captains just letting bad stuff happen because of a rule. TOS Kirk broke the directive a bunch of times in the show and those are some of my favorite episodes because you see a very human side to him. It's what they tried to do at the beginning of STID and, had there been a little more backstory, it would've worked better.
> 
> In the comic I adapted this and the last chapter from, because Kirk refuses to help, April takes over the ship and tries to make a deal with the Klingons in order to protect the Phadeans he was helping. Jim and Co get the ship back but the Enterprise ends up leaving the planet to the Klingons. In a conversation with Spock, Jim does agree with April that they just let a bunch of people die because of a regulation and he questions why Starfleet even exists if not to help people. I think it would've made a good plot point for STID. You could understand Kirk being torn between the regs and his moral code.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're moving into the video game, which takes place right before Into Darkness.

"I guess this means Shore Leave is cancelled," Prescott said to Gavin as Jim, Spock and his friend, T'Mar, walked into the transporter room.

The Enterprise was headed to the Earth colony of Vega for leave when they picked up an emergency distress call from the Vulcan science station Helios. After rescuing Captain T'Mar and her crew, the Enterprise went to New Vulcan to find out why T'Mar's father, Surok, shut everything down. Helios station was part of the colonization for New Vulcan, harnessing energy from the binary star to power a device on the planet. Surok was one of the foremost scientists of the Vulcan race and a man Spock considered a mentor.

The Enterprise tried to contact the base but they were met with static. Uhura attempted to contact Spock's parents and his older self on the surface but she couldn't get through. That's when Chekov discovered some kind of rip in the fabric of space, T'Mar suggested that it was the reason her father shut Helios station off. Going with her gut, Jim decided to take a security team –Gavin, Prescott, Price and Edwards- to the colony in addition to herself, Spock and T'Mar.

"Not cancelled, just postponed… I hope," Jim said as Scotty handed her the phaser he recently upgraded just for her before the engineer took his seat at the transporter console. Jim, Spock and T'Mar hopped onto the pad with the security team and Jim gave Scotty the go ahead to beam them down.

* * *

"This place is empty," Price muttered as they all looked around.

"That's not good. There are supposed to be over two hundred thousand Vulcans down here," Edwards said before Jim could.

T'Mar led them up a short hill to Helios base, the whole group looking for signs of life. Since the 'highest security protocols have been activated' Spock hacked the locks and they entered the security station in the base. Again, the place was empty.

"Can you access the system from here, T'Mar?" Jim asked.

She nodded, "Of course. Are you implying that I stay behind, my father is in there?"

"Which is why we need you to help us through the base," the Starfleet captain said. "We're trained for this stuff, you're not." T'Mar didn't like it but she relented. "Alright, fellas, let's do this."

The Spock and the four security officers nodded. The group tool up tactical positions before they walked through the door and across the small bridge that led to the main part of the base.

"It's too quiet in here," Jim muttered. Not only was the facility quiet but there were bodies in the corridors.

"ARHH!" A colonist ran at the away team, he looked sick and Jim ordered the group to use stun, not wanting to kill what was probably a victim.

"He has an unidentified poison in his adrenal gland and his blood stream, Jim. Not in our database," Spock said as he ran his tricorder over the man.

She took a breath, "What is going on down here?"

"I do not know, Captain," Spock said. Jim cringed, it's never a good thing when Spock is at a loss. It generally means that they're all in more trouble than they realize. "I advise that we continue to use stun."

* * *

"Spock," came the voice of an older Vulcan. They all looked up at the man who called her first officer. Jim could swear Spock sighed in relief. Gavin gave her a look and Jim knew she wasn't the only one who caught that.

They made their way through the beat up base, having to stun a bunch of Vulcans and fix some power issues to do so. Spock also hacked some of the consoles, nothing groundbreaking but you never know how valuable some information may end up being.

"Surok, I am relieved to see you unharmed. This is my commanding officer, Captain James Kirk. Captain, this is Surok," Spock introduced them to each other.

"It's a pleasure, sir," she said.

Surok looked at Jim for a moment before turning his attention to Spock, "T'Mar."

"I am here, father," the Vulcan woman said over their communication frequency.

"I am pleased to hear your voice," he told his daughter.

"I love reunions as much as the next person but we don't really have the time. Can you tell us what's going on around here?" Jim asked the old Vulcan.

Surok nodded, "We have been attacked. The creatures emerged from The Rip. All we've been able to decipher is that they call themselves The Gorn."

"That sounds ominous," Gavin muttered under his breath. Jim looked up at him and nodded.

Ominous didn't even cut it. Surok explained to them that the Gorn were making a play for the Helios device so that they could open more rips in space. Jim and company only had one option; stop the Gorn. Surok told them where they needed to go to find the device. The whole team readied weapons and went deeper into the labs, losing contact with T'Mar as they did.

"Captain, I believe you should hear this," Spock said. He was accessing the computer system again when he came across a recording of Surok. _'I no longer believe Commodore Daniels has the best interests of the Vulcan people at heart. His assistance in the construction of the Helios Device was gratefully received but with it has come an expectation of control over the device's operations that is most troubling. I expressed my doubts to T'Mar but she remains adamant that she will not allow Daniels to compromise our plans. I no longer trust Daniels but my trust in my daughter must not waiver._ '

"Not him," Jim groaned.

"Who's Daniels, ma'am?" Prescott asked.

"He's the CO of the Frontier Seventeen starbase. The man hates my family with a passion. He's not shy about insulting people to their faces, including my mother at a memorial for my father. If it wasn't for Barnett, I would've punched him for what he said to her. He's a power hungry asshole who steps on people to get ahead and I have no clue how he's lasted in the fleet this long. Chris said that officers like Daniels is the reason he recruited me," she answered.

"Someone else for my list," Cupcake whispered to Prescott.

"What list, Lieutenant?" Jim asked. His blue eyes met with hers and he smirked.

"You don't wanna know, Captain," Gavin said. She raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not a hit list."

"That sucks. I have a few people to add if it was," she chuckled as they continued to the Helios Device.

They entered a room and found signs of a battle, they also found the doorway a mess of mangled metal and on fire. The all looked around and Price spotted an access hatch. Jim almost jumped into hole but Edwards and Price insisted on going ahead of her. They group made their way to the maintenance shaft and Price pushed open the hatch on the other side. He was subsequently pulled out by his throat.

"Price!" Jim yelled.

This thing was like something out of a nightmare. It was huge with green, ugly scales and it smelled horrible. The only thing Jim could think of to describe it was bulky velociraptor. It tossed her officer to the side like he was nothing. As soon as the thing let the kid go, Jim opened fire. She wasn't the only one, the whole group was shooting at this thing while trying to avoid getting trampled as he kept charging. Luckily, they brought it down with minor injuries.

"Are you alright, Ensign?" Spock asked Price.

"Yes, sir," the kid sighed. "That's an ugly bastard."

"No kidding," Jim said as she stepped closer to the downed creature, noticing that it's blood was similar to the toxins they've seen seeping out of the Vulcans in the base.

"I wouldn't…" Prescott started but Jim held up her hand.

"That look familiar to you guys?" she asked.

Her first officer did a scan of the downed Gorn, "This is the toxin we found in the fallen Vulcans, but it does not appear to be infected. The Gorn must be the host."

"This day just gets better and better," Jim muttered. "Come on. We need to find that device."

The Enterprise officers continued though the compound, a bit more alert then before. Spock found another audio log; this one belonged to T'Mar. ' _I will always be grateful for the assistance Commodore Daniels has shown the Vulcan people, but his priorities have recently become troubling. He remains steadfast in his support of the Helios Device, however, he has shown more interest in the device's side effects rather than its primary function_.' That doesn't sound good and Daniels is the last person in the universe that should have access to this project.

They stepped into the scanner outside the main lab and let it cycle through before they entered the room.

"Is that the Helios Device?" Gavin asked.

Jim nodded, "Yep."

The largest of the Gorn, who was holding the device, looked at them and rattled something off in his native language. Jim didn't need to be a genius to know that he just ordered his men to stop the officers. And Jim just happened to be a genius. The whole team took cover wherever they could as the Gorn troops started shooting at them. Jim and company returned fire. She, Prescott and Edwards would fire, then stop to recharge. While they were recharging, Gavin, Spock and Price would shoot. It worked out pretty well.

"He's getting away with Helios, Jim," Cupcake called. She took a breath before she attempted to go after the Gorn but she got cut off by another of his soldiers. She tried to fire at this thing but he knocked her weapon out of her hands. Jim blocked his next attack and went to swing when he went down with a phaser blast to the head.

"Thanks, Cupcake," Jim chuckled.

"Anytime," he smiled. "We gotta go."

"T'Mar, can you hear me?" she asked as she grabbed her phaser.

"I copy you, Kirk," the Vulcan answered.

"They have the device. Can you tell where they're going?" Jim asked.

The other woman didn't say anything for a second, "They appear to be taking the device to the surface."

"We'll never catch up to 'em," Prescott muttered.

"If I can restore the power to the turbolift, you should be able to intercept them," T'Mar said before telling them which way to go. Jim tried to raise the ship but the device was interfering with comms now that it was out of containment. The lift opened up to the corridor outside the area where they found Surok. They moved to follow when more Gorn showed up and started shooting at them.

"Price!" Jim called when the security officer went down with a shot to side. "Today is not your day, huh?"

"No, ma'am. You gotta stop 'em. Go," he told her.

"Edwards, get him back to the Enterprise," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," the officer replied before Jim, Spock, Gavin and Prescott kept going. Sadly, that's when T'Mar alerted them over the comm that the Gorn had Surok.

"We'll get him back," she told Spock's friend. The Vulcan woman told her that the device was still top priority but Jim wasn't gonna let that go. They made outside just in time to see some Gorn ships getting ready to fly off.

The four officers ran towards the ships and jumped. Jim, being the shortest, didn't clear the leap as well as the boys did. Gavin pulled her up while Spock and Prescott laid down cover fire. Once she was on her feet, she started shooting too as more Gorn flooded the aft of the ship.

"Uh, guys," Gavin said. Jim followed his line of sight to the other ship that had turned its weapons on them and started shooting.

"I should've stayed on the ship."


	31. Chapter 31

"This is very hot, Cupcake," Jim whispered into Gavin's ear. He chuckled and gave her a wink but didn't say anything.

The Gorn ship they were on was shot out of the sky and crashed into the building, which sent them all back inside. By some miracle, they weren't all dead. Jim busted up her leg and Prescott was holding his arm against his chest but that seemed to be the worst of it. There were some leftover Gorn that kept shooting at them, which is why her boyfriend picked her up to get her to cover, Spock shooting as they made their exit. They needed to rendezvous with T'Mar and get the hell out of here. The Gorn had the device and Surok and there was nothing else they could do from the ground. T'Mar intersected with them as they made their way out of the compound.

"The Gorn have overrun this facility. Follow me," T'Mar told them before she led the team outside. Jim looked up just as the Gorn ships were prepping to go. As glad as she was to hear Uhura and Scotty's voices, she knew that the interference clearing meant the Helios Device was getting away.

"Scotty, beam us up, hurry," she ordered into her communicator.

"You bet your ass, Captain," the engineer had them beamed up in a flash.

"We need to get to the bridge. I know what you're gonna say, Bones but we're short on time," she told her best friend, who met them in the transporter room.

"Of course we are," the doctor rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll fix it on the bridge."

"Full power, Sulu. We can't lose that ship. Uhura, open all hailing frequencies," Jim ordered when Gavin carried her onto the bridge. He sat her on her feet and Jim limped the short distance to her chair and sat down as Uhura and Sulu did what she ordered.

"No response, Captain," Uhura informed her.

"I didn't feel like talking to them anyway," Jim muttered as Bones stabbed her in the neck with a hypospray. "Chekov, Sulu, prepare to engage hostiles."

"Aye, Keptin," the wiz kid responded.

Sulu nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

"Captain, sensors indicate a Vulcan life sign on the larger enemy ship," Spock told her. "It is logical to deduce that it is Surok."

"Enemy fighters are vithin range, Keptin. They're on intercept course with us," Chekov told her.

"Phaser banks are at maximum charge, Captain," Gavin said from the engineering console. He took over for Scotty, who went down to engineering.

"Fellas, get ready to dance. Bones, you might wanna hold onto something."

Uhura looked at her, "Fighters approaching in three… two… one…"

"Fire at will," Jim ordered Sulu and Chekov. Both officers got to work as the fighters tried to take them out. It would've actually been cool to watch if it wasn't life or death. Sulu and Chekov were always good friends but the longer they're been on the ship the more they reminded Jim of her relationship with Bones. The two men destroyed the smaller ships and the larger ones started pulling some crazy moves.

"What the hell are they doing?" she asked.

"They appear to be engaging in some form of suicide mission," Spock said from behind her.

"Scotty, damage report," Jim hit the comm to engineering.

"I don't know how much more she can take," he responded.

"Shields are at eighty percent," Cupcake told her.

"Captain, the enemy ships have resumed course towards The Rip," Uhura warned.

"With the attack fighters destroyed, we could easily overtake the remaining vessels," Spock said as stood next to her, now he was speaking her language.

"Hold your fire. Sulu, go to full impulse and get us within transporter range. Uhura hail the lead ship and tell them that they're about to be boarded." Uhura acknowledged but the ships around them started going up, "I said HOLD your fire."

"That wasn't us," Sulu said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were firing on their own ships."

"Looks like they're creating a debris field with their own people," Gavin said. Jim glanced at Spock; he nodded his agreement.

"Uhura, get me Starfleet Command. Sulu, set pursuit course," she issued her orders. She knew they'd have to do something before the Gorn figured out how to use the Helios Device.

"We're going over there?" Bones asked her. She nodded. "Jim, you can barely walk on your own and sickbay is full of infected Vulcans. We need to get these people to the nearest starbase, _yesterday_."

"Captain, the Rip is interfering with communications. I can't raise Command," Uhura told her.

"You plan to go through a compressing rip in the fabric of space to chase an alien race we know nothing about, except that they have a doomsday device and we can't even call for backup," Bones said. "Jim, that's crazy, even for you."

"The doctor may be correct. If we fail in our pursuit, Starfleet would know nothing of our fate and they would be ill equipped to defend the Federation from the Gorn threat," Spock added.

"ETA to The Rip is two minutes, Captain," Sulu notified her.

"We don't know what's on the other side, ma'am," Gavin added. "We have way too many injured on the ship to go fight a war."

T'Mar stepped forward, "Commodore Daniels operates a starbase, nearby."

"Dammit," Jim said. "Sulu break off pursuit and get us to Frontier Seventeen."

* * *

"I just want to know one thing: did anything come through?" Commodore Daniels turned in his chair as Jim, Spock, T'Mar, Gavin and Zahra stepped onto his bridge.

"Sir?" Jim asked.

"I assume you're here because the machine caused a Rip. Did anything come through?" Daniels asked.

"We were attacked. They took my father," T'Mar informed him.

"Then it works." The commodore smirked.

"With all due respect, sir, what the _hell_ is going on here?" Jim was holding her tongue but it wasn't easy.

"Unlike you, Miss Kirk, I did not get my command because my _daddy_ died in some heroic blaze of glory. Some of us have to earn our way in life." She really was holding her tongue.

"People died back there!" Jim was livid. Men like Daniels get promoted for the bullshit they pull but men like Bob would be tossed in the brig. What the fuck was wrong with this universe.

"I'm sure their sacrifices will be noted," he said dismissively.

"Commodore, you do realize that the Helios Device has fallen into hostile hands. If the Gorn learn to harness its power, they will be unstoppable," Spock stepped between them and Jim was glad for it.

"Isn't that where you come in? You two are supposed to be the big heroes. The rising stars of the fleet, or so I read somewhere. I suggest you get that device back before there are more casualties," the man sneered at Spock.

Jim chuckled, "Did I get my command because of my father? Or am I the big hero that has to clean up the mess you made? Doesn't work both ways, Commodore."

He glared at her, "You would do well to remember that I outrank you, Kirk."

"I am well aware. It doesn't make my questions any less valid, sir. You knew that this could happen and you did it anyway. You put lives and the Federation at risk and now you want me and my crew to fix it," Jim almost growled.

"What have I done?" T'Mar asked.

"You created a machine that will shape the future of Starfleet. Even if none of you see it now, you will," Daniels smiled.

"T'Mar, you were aware of this?" Spock looked at his friend.

"Spock, you must believe me, I did this to protect our people. That device was supposed to rebuild our planet. If I had known that any of this…" T'Mar was cut off by the proximity alarm. The Gorn were here.

"Sir, where is the communications bay? We must notify Starfleet Command at once," her first officer told the commodore.

Daniels glared as two of his officers entered the room, "This is my station, I'll notify Starfleet." He and his men walked out of the room but she heard him tell one of them to prep his shuttle for evacuation.

"You sure I can't kill him?" Gavin whispered to her.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that just so I don't have to deny anything later," Jim whispered back right as the station shuddered and knocked them off their feet. Gavin pulled her and Zahra to their feet while Spock helped T'Mar.

"Captain, I have doubts that Daniels will contact Starfleet," Spock said.

"Doubts? A blind man could see that he's gonna run. We're gonna have notify Starfleet ourselves."

T'Mar nodded, "I know this station, I can tell you where to go."

* * *

"Jim," Gavin grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against a wall.

"Turrets? They have turrets," Jim said to her boyfriend.

"Apparently," he chuckled. "You okay?"

"Yea, thanks for the save, Cupcake," she said as Spock hacked the device.

"Purely selfish reasons," the tall officer told her with a wink. Jim chuckled as they made their way through the labs.

On their way to the communications bay, they got a comm from Bones. He and some techs were trapped in the lab, so that's where they were heading. The lab was dark, save the emergency lighting and there were Gorn and infected crew members everywhere. Jim gave the order to kill the Gorn and knock out the crew members.

"You guys okay?" Jim asked her best friend. Bones was locked in a storage room with a couple of kids that looked like they were fresh outta the Academy. Giving the losses from her class a year ago, she was probably right.

"Yea, we had to lock ourselves in when the Gorn showed up and started infecting people. We just need to grab my samples and…" Bones stopped talking when the power kicked back on. T'Mar informed them that the Gorn were trying to access the computer system in the labs.

"They're probably after information on the Helios device," Zahra said. "I would be."

"The lieutenant may be correct. Despite the Gorn's animalistic appearance, they are a rather sophisticated race," Spock said in agreement.

"If they get that intel, they could end the universe as we know it," Cupcake said.

"Helios is gonna make Nero and Vulcan look like child's play," Jim muttered. "We gotta stop them from getting that far. Bones, you with us?"

"Safest place in an emergency is usually where you are," her best friend muttered. She looked at the officers that were locked in with Bones.

"Names?" she asked.

"McGraw, Lin and Salib, ma'am," the tallest of the three lab technicians said.

"Zahra," Jim looked at the security officer. "Get 'em to the shuttle bay and help anyone you find get there too. Fellas, let's get this done."


	32. Chapter 32

"You know what this reminds me of?" Gavin asked as the pair made their way to the sub-space relay. She shook her head. "Us on that station after the Farragut. The only time I ever really had you to myself."

"You were unconscious for most of the first day," Jim reminded him.

"That's true but my point still stands," he said.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"Because I'm not a normal girlfriend and I wish I could give you that," Jim sighed.

"Who says you're not normal?" Gavin asked. Jim gave him a look and motioned for him to look around at the destruction they were tactically moving through. "Okay, so you have a crazy job but it's my crazy job too, that doesn't mean you're any less normal than anyone else, babe. I love watching you kick ass, it's one of my favorite things. It's second only to watching you help people. You take care of a ship with seven hundred crew members, solve all the problems that get dumped on the Enterprise and somehow you still manage to make me feel like I'm the only guy in the universe."

"That's how you feel?" Jim asked. She felt like she never had enough time for him.

"I know what you're thinking. While we may not have a ton of time, all the time, what we do have is worth it. Do I wish I could take you out on a date? Yes. Does it bother me that I spend a good chunk of my down time lately watching you do paperwork? No," he said. She glanced at him and opened her mouth to tell him how crazy that sounded but he spoke before she could. "I get to spend time with you and I don't care what we're going."

"I still don't get it."

"Okay, I'll make it simple," Gavin said. "I love you. The details don't matter to me. Now, Captain, we better hurry." It really was too bad that they were in a war zone right now, she really wanted to kiss him.

Jim and Gavin were trying to give the station a fighting chance. After their away team got to the shuttle bay, Daniels abandoned ship, leaving a good chunk of his crew to fend for themselves. Lieutenant Commander Abaran, Daniels' XO, was working his ass off and Jim had a feeling that the crew of Frontier Seventeen would do anything he asked with smiles on their faces because he was more their CO than Daniels ever was.

While the Enterprise officers were helping with the evacuation, Abaran got a comm from some of his people, they were trapped in crew quarters. At the same time, T'Mar gave them the idea to overload the sub-space relay, using it as a weapon. Spock and Bones went for the officers while Jim and Gavin went for the relay.

The pair just cleared the power station, making sure it was online so they could get the overload to work. Jim hacked the system to restart the power to the relay tower while Gavin covered her six. She couldn't resist snagging Daniels' logs while she was in the system.

' _Damn their Vulcan ineptitude! Thanks to their incompetence, the Helios Device is failing. I should have taken full control of the project myself and made it a Starfleet operation from the very beginning. I'm forced to listen to T'Mar's requests for help. To make matters worse, the Enterprise is already on its way there. The last thing I need is that child, Kirk, sticking her nose in things and taking credit for salvaging the Helios Device. No doubt trying to make herself the hero again. Damn Pike for giving her the keys to the flagship, the man's obsession with George Kirk knows no end. All my hard work could be for naught…_ '

"Please keep me away from him. And don't let Pike hear that," Cupcake said.

"Why not? Pike outranks him. I think that would be a very interesting conversation," she chuckled. Jim could almost see Pike dress Daniels down and it was a happy thought, that man brought down a peg or ten.

"Well, when you put it that way," he smiled. "We're here."

"Yep. That's the entrance to the relay tower. We're gonna need to suit up," Jim said. They both looked around and found a locker with EVA suits in it.

The pair geared up before they made their way outside the station to the tower. The whole area was abandoned but Jim figured that it was due to the lack of oxygen. Getting there was the easiest thing they've had to do so far today. When they got up to the relay tower's controls, they had to release the safeties manually. Jim told Gavin exactly what to do and they split up, taking two of the safeties each.

After it was set, they bailed out before the whole top of the tower exploded. They jumped and used their suits' thrusters to clear the debris. Jim spotted the Enterprise and used the comm in her helmet. "Sulu, show our guests the door."

"Yes, ma'am," came his response as Jim and Gavin landed in a hull breach in Frontier Seventeen's crew quarters.

"This way," Cupcake said as he spotted a functioning airlock. They needed to get the others and get the hell outta here.

* * *

T'Mar was taken by the Gorn just as Jim and Gavin met Spock, Bones and a group of other officers outside the bridge. Once the Vulcan woman was gone, Spock jumped from cover and tackled one of the Gorn just as Scotty was beaming the Starfleet officers out. The Gorn ended up on the Enterprise with them and they were forced to chase him all over the ship while he infected members of her crew. When they finally caught him in the shuttle bay, they knocked him out and Spock did a mind meld.

When he looked up at Jim and the security officers, there was something in Spock's eyes. It's was so familiar, something she's seen in the mirror; fury.

"The Gorn are an extradimensional race that conquered their galaxy. They crushed every planet they encountered, killing those who resisted and enslaving the rest. The wormhole created by the Helios Device has opened a gateway from their galaxy and into Federation territory. It is what led them to New Vulcan. This was the Gorn who ordered his men to kill us and took the Helios Device. They captured Surok for more information, however, when they learned he had no knowledge of its functionality, they killed him and kidnapped T'Mar."

She touched his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Spock."

"The regret is not for myself, Jim. This is a great loss for the Vulcan people. We should seek to limit such losses," he all but growled.

"They tortured and killed Surok for information on that thing," Gavin said, his rifle still pointed at the large Gorn. "They'll do the same thing to T'Mar."

Jim nodded, "She's your friend, Spock. It's your call. How do you want to handle this one?"

"Our mission is clear. We must go through The Rip and recover the Helios Device. Since we will already be there, we will just have to recover T'Mar as well."

"Now you're speaking my language… and you didn't even have to do that mind meld thing with my face." She hit the comm to the bridge and gave Sulu the order to take the ship through The Rip.

* * *

It was a good thing that they took a shuttle down to this planet because it was shot down. While Sulu worked on getting the craft back in the air and Bones worked on an antidote, Jim, Spock, Gavin and Prescott left to disable the anti-aircraft gun that shot out of the sky and to locate the Helios Device's transponder signal. The team had to BASE jump off the ridge they landed on in wing suits. They disabled the AA gun then continued through the underwater and underground tunnels to get to the encampment. There was a point, about halfway, when they checked on Bones' antidote.

"Doctor McCoy, how are you progressing on an antidote to the Gorn venom?" Spock asked.

"Almost there. It's a nasty little virus but… I gotta tell ya… these Gorn are everywhere. Zahra stunned a pregnant female that tried to attack us, then like an idiot, I tried to perform an emergency C-Section to save the little bastards. Octuplets. The damn things came out all teeth and claws; they almost bit my hand off." Jim laughed, she knew she shouldn't have but it was funny. "I'm glad you think it's funny, Jim… How are you guys doing?"

"Well, we're not dead, that's always a good sign," she said. "Stay on comms in case we need ya."

"You got it, kid."

* * *

"This is your fault, Kirk. You brought those things after my station," Daniels said to her when they found him strapped to a table/bed thing in the Gorn's prison-like lab facility. Jim pinched the bridge of her nose, he is an idiot.

"Oh, no. This is not even remotely on me. T'Mar warned you. Surok warned you. And instead of listening to people a thousand times smarter than you are, you activated Helios early. Your actions caused The Rip that brought the Gorn through. You abandoned your crew. You lied to T'Mar and you got Surok killed. We found your audio logs and some of Surok and T'Mar's so don't even think about trying to blame me for this. Just tell us where they took her, sir. Please."

"I… I don't know where she is," Daniels told them after a moment. She nodded and looked at her officers.

"I'll get him out of here, ma'am," Prescott offered.

"Cupcake, go with them," Jim ordered. He nodded and joined their friend as Jim and Spock kept going to find T'Mar. A bad feeling arose in Jim's chest.

* * *

"Grenade!" Spock warned as he slammed into her. Jim looked around.

"It's an ambush, they knew we were coming," she said as she unloaded her frustration out on the Gorn troops that just kept coming.

Jim didn't like being outnumbered or outgunned and they were both. The Enterprise's top officers fought hard but they just couldn't overcome the Gorn numbers and they were overpowered. Weapons in their faces, Jim and Spock had no choice but to drop their phasers and let the Gorn take them.

"T'Mar!" Spock called as they were pushed into the room where the Vulcan woman was being held. She was a mess, they tortured her like Gavin said they would and she had bruises and green blood all over the place. Gavin and Prescott were in the room with weapons pointed at their heads too. Jim checked them over as best she could and didn't spot anything major.

"Daniels?" she asked even though she knew the answer.

"Dead. I'm sorry, Jim, they overpowered us," Cupcake said.

"Not your fault," Jim said as the Gorn pushed her and Spock into them. That's when a very large, very angry looking Gorn entered the room and Spock stepped forward. "Easy, buddy. No need to go full human on us just yet."

The big Gorn growled something at his men and then something in Jim's face before the three officers were forced into what she could only describe as an arena.

"Did our bad day just get worse?" Prescott asked.

Jim nodded, "Yea, I think so."


	33. Chapter 33

"Adam, what…?" Jim asked as her head cleared. She looked around and she was on top of her friend.

"Hey, um… this is not what it looks like," Prescott said.

"O… kay. What happened?" she asked.

"The Gorn infected you and the commander with that toxin," Gavin said as he pulled her to her feet. Then he pulled a dart out of her neck. "You charged at me but I couldn't…" There was something in his eyes that Jim couldn't describe. "Prescott tackled you while I fought with Spock, then the others showed up. McCoy and Zahra shot you guys with the antidote before you could choke Adam out."

"Sorry," Jim said.

"It's cool," Prescott gave her a shrug and a smile.

"Sounds like Bones' dream of shooting me has finally come true," she muttered.

"It wasn't nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be, kid," Bones said over the comm. Jim looked over at the shuttle that was hovering nearby.

"Love you too. Helios status?" Jim asked.

"They're moving it and T'Mar off-planet," Zahra said as Sulu put the shuttle down low enough for the four officers to hop on.

"We need to get back to the Enterprise," Spock said.

"Sulu," she looked at the pilot.

"I'm on it," their favorite helmsman said as his hands moved over the controls. Jim, Gavin, Spock and Prescott started taking their wingsuits off.

"You okay?" Jim whispered to Gavin.

"Define okay," he said and she gave him a look. "The crappiest part about that damn toxin isn't that it made you fight with us. It's… You and Spock have two of the sharpest minds I know. Hell, you have two of the sharpest minds in the fleet and that toxin turned you into mindless… zombies. It scares the shit out of me. If we can't stop it… can you imagine what that'll do to a planet like Alpha Centauri? Or Earth?"

"We'll stop 'em before it gets that far," she said.

"Uh… Jim," Bones called from the front of the shuttle. "We got a problem."

"What the hell are they doing?" Prescott asked. All the officers in the shuttle moved to look out the viewport. There were large tether-like things going around and through sections of the Enterprise.

"I guess they were dumber than we thought," Sulu said. The whole group looked at him. "They fucked with the Enterprise. That's like the second rule of the universe. Don't talk about someone's mama and don't fuck with the Enterprise."

"So, how do we get over?" Bones asked. Jim leaned over his shoulder and activated one of the emergency comm channels.

"Kyle, come in," she said. Nothing happened for a whole minute, than a voice came over the shuttle's system.

"I copy you, Captain," the lieutenant said.

"The away team needs a beam over. There's no way we're getting through that mess. Please tell me you're near a transporter room," Jim told the officer.

"I'm across the hall, Dennison is dead on the deck. Those things came through shooting and infecting people," Kyle said. "I think I can make it though."

"If you can't, don't," she said. Jim wasn't gonna order him to blow his cover like that.

"Gimme a second, ma'am," he said. Kyle's voice never returned but the familiar swirl of the transporter wrapped around the officers in the shuttle. The banged up interior of her ship was a welcome sight. "Gotcha."

"Nice job, Mister Kyle," Jim said. "Scotty, you there?"

"I'm here, lass. This place is crawling with those lizard things and what's with the damn tentacles they attached to our ship?"

"Don't know yet, Scotty. Warp core status?" she asked.

"Crawling with Gorn. I could fix it but not if I'm getting shot at," the engineer said.

"Hang tight," Jim looked at the officers with her. "Spock and Bones, we need that antidote. Hendorff, Prescott, Sulu, Zahra and Kyle, we gotta retake engineering."

* * *

"Can anyone read me?" Chekov called over the comms.

"I copy you, Pasha," Jim said. He was in pinned down in astrometrics and requesting backup.

"I'll go," Sulu offered. She looked at him and nodded.

"Get him and head to sickbay. Prescott, go with him," Jim said.

"Yes, ma'am," both men said before running back the way they came.

Jim, Gavin, Zahra and Kyle kept moving towards engineering. Without the warp core, Bones and Spock couldn't get the antidote to the whole crew. And Sulu had a plan for getting the tethers off but they needed the core for that too. So, it made sense that the Gorn were guarding the damn thing. They ran into Scotty before moving into one of the doorways to engineering. Jim watched the Gorn for a minute and realized that someone was dropping them quietly, one at a time.

"Who's in engineering?" she whispered into her comm.

"Me. Jim, you're here?" came the whispered answer and question. It was Gaila.

"Yea. Is that you taking the Gorn soldiers down?" Jim asked her friend.

"Of course. Please tell me you're not alone," the Orion said quietly.

"Got Scotty, Cupcake, Zahra and Kyle," the captain said. Gaila told Jim what her plan was and Jim agreed. Jim, Gavin, Kyle and Zahra waited for Gaila's signal and when she gave it, they all entered the room, shooting in different directions while Scotty moved to restart the warp core.

"Bones, we got the power back," Jim said as the core restarted and the last Gorn fell. "Found your girlfriend down here kicking ass, too."

"Of course you did, she's scarier than you, kid," her best friend chuckled. "We're all set up here, it'll take a few minutes but the cure is airborne. Aside from headaches, the crew will be fine."

* * *

"Pathetic creatures" Uhura translated for the Gorn lieutenant that was holding her hostage on the bridge, the same Gorn that Spock brought over from Frontier Seventeen. "I have allowed you too much freedom. Override the systems and give us control of this ship or the woman dies." Spock stepped forward but Jim stopped him.

"You want control," she said. "I'll give you control."

She could feel Spock, Gavin, Gaila and Uhura look at her but she just winked at Gavin as her hands flew over the console and directed the shuttle they left outside to crash into the viewscreen. The official term for what happened next is explosive decompression. Everything that wasn't bolted down or holding on was sucked out the large hole. Spock grabbed Uhura's arm, Gavin was holding onto her chair, Jim was hanging onto Chekov's chair and Gaila was holding onto one of the stations behind the command chair.

"Computer, repair bridge," Jim ordered with the last of her breath. The breach sealed itself and the whole group hit the floor. "Uhura, you alright?"

"Yes, Captain," her friend sighed.

The captain hopped in her chair and hit the intercom, "All hands, report to stations." She looked at Gavin and Spock. "Get me a solution. This ends now."

* * *

"Fascinating," Spock said.

Of all the ideas they tossed up, the one Gavin came up with was the best; a rescue operation. Jim, Spock, Gavin and Prescott suited up in stealth/tactical gear and went over to the Gorn ship to get T'Mar and the Helios Device. Sulu distracted the Gorn enough for the small infiltration team to get in and now they were moving through the Gorn ship.

"I'm starting to hate it when you say that word. It's never anything good," Jim said.

"It appears that these chambers are bio-enhancement tanks," Spock told her. Okay, so that is fascinating.

"Bones, you copying this?" she asked.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say genetic engineering gear. It would explain their enhancements and the lab you found on that planet," the doctor said over comm as they made they made their way into another room.

"This place is massive," Gavin said from her right side.

"Spock, hack in and see if we can narrow our search," Jim ordered. He found a console with access to the secure systems and located the Helios Device and T'Mar.

"Do you have a plan, Captain?" her first officer asked as he worked.

"I'm thinking that if we hide in these tanks and hijack a transport, we should be able to get where we need to go," she told him. They all looked at her and Spock spoke.

"I am proud of you, Jim."

"For what?" she asked her friend.

"Usually, your plans involve mindlessly running into danger," Spock told her. Gavin and Prescott both chuckled.

"Hey, my plans are not mindless. I just play my chess game two moves ahead of everyone else," Jim told them with a smile.

"Except me," Spock quipped. He kicked her ass the last few times they played, so he had a point.

They didn't know how to get the chambers to work, so they asked Scotty. The tanks sent out signals, they just had to find one that about to be picked up and Scotty would match the signal for them. It was a tight squeeze but they sucked it up; Sulu told them that the Enterprise's shields were down to thirty percent. They had to move, fast.

* * *

"He's gone, Jim," Gavin said as he closed Prescott's eyes. The officers were at the central computer to take down the targeting system when Adam took a hit meant for Jim. She killed the Gorn that shot him and finished her hack with shaky hands, knowing her friend from the Academy was gone before he hit the deck.

"Captain, whatever you just did seems to have worked. Their weapons appear to be disabled," Sulu's voice came over the comm.

"Copy. Keep our girl safe, Hikaru," she replied. "We gotta move."

"T'Mar and the device aren't much further," Spock said.

"Let's go," Jim said. The three officers moved Prescott's body and Jim ordered Scotty to get a lock on him, that way he was beamed back with them.

They continued their trek through the ship, the security thinning as they went Jim knew that the Gorn have probably never had to worry about anyone getting this far into the ship. She sucked in a breath when they got to the room where the Gorn were holding T'Mar and the Helios Device.

"What are they doing to her?" Gavin asked the question on the tip of Jim's tongue.

"I believe they are somehow forcing her to operate the Helios Device, Captain," Spock said. "As long as the device is operational, we will not be able to contact the ship or beam out."

"Guess that means it has to go," Jim said. Spock quickly explained that the plasma transducers around the large room had to be powered down first and there were Gorn between them and the team. "Disable them, Spock, we'll handle the Gorn."

Spock went left while Jim and Gavin pulled the guards towards the right. Jim and Gavin always fought well together, a mix of his power and her precision that just flowed through them. She always liked fighting with him because they didn't need to say anything, it just worked, even before they were together.

"Jim, now!" Spock called. He had taken down the transducers. Jim and Gavin both turned their fire from the Gorn, who were now aware of Spock, to the Helios Device. It shattered and the shards fell to the ground.

"Come on, Captain. Please be there?" the voice over the comms said.

"We're okay, Uhura. Can you guys get a lock on us and T'Mar?"

"Scotty's already working on it," the communications officer told her. "It'll take a second." Just then the Gorn commander showed up.

"He's mine. Get T'Mar," Spock growled. Jim had to do a double take before she decided just to do what he asked. Spock was pissed. T'Mar was his friend, one of the only friends from his childhood and he had a bone to pick with the large creature that kidnapped her and killed her father.

"Come on, Cupcake, let's get her outta that thing," Jim said. The Gorn commander charged at her first officer but Jim didn't want to watch, Spock could be a very formidable foe when he wasn't angry, right now he was down-right terrifying.

Jim and Gavin climbed up the small platform to T'Mar. She released the locks and straps that held the Vulcan in while Gavin gently caught her in his large arms.

"Is Spock alright?" T'Mar asked weakly.

Jim looked over as Spock dropped the Gorn leader like a bad habit. "Yea, he's good. Scotty, get us out of here."


	34. Chapter 34

"You know it wasn't your fault, right?" Gavin whispered. Her eyes found his in the dark. "Adam. It wasn't your fault."

"I know," she whispered.

"But you're still gonna blame yourself," he sighed.

"Probably," Jim admitted. The logical part of her brain understood that Prescott was a good officer and protecting his captain with his life was his job. But her heart hurt, Adam was her friend and the idea that he was just gone didn't sit well with her. "I'm the captain, it may not be my fault but he was my responsibility."

"It was you or him and he picked you," Gavin said.

"I would've picked him," she muttered against his chest.

"I know, we all do. That's why they'd die for you, Jim. You'd die to protect anyone on this ship and everyone knows it," he told her.

"What about you?" Jim asked. "We both know that you'd pick me over yourself. Is it because I'm the captain?"

"Hell no. It's because you're you," Cupcake told her.

"I'd pick you," she said. Her default was to say that she wasn't that important but she knew that wasn't true, especially with Gavin.

"I know. You wouldn't be you if you didn't," he said. "We'll just have to hope it doesn't come to that."

"That's a lot of hoping in this job," Jim chuckled. "I can't always keep us safe."

"Oh, please. I wish you could've seen yourself fighting off those damn Gorn things. It was awesome. You got this, babe."

"That's a lot of faith you have in me, Mister Hendorff," she whispered.

"It's well placed, Miss Kirk."

* * *

"We cannot just intervene," Spock said. "The Prime Directive states…"

"Goddammit, man, these are people and they're gonna die if we don't do something about it," Bones cut her first officer off.

"Doctor, perhaps you should govern your emotions," the half-Vulcan said.

"But he's right," Jim sighed.

"Captain, the Prime Directive…" Spock started.

"Wants us to watch and record an entire civilization be destroyed. I'm tired of watching people die for nothing, Spock. There has to be a way to help the Nibirans without showing ourselves," she said.

"There might be," Sulu spoke up. "It'll be tight though." The helmsman manipulated the holographic interface on the conference table. "If someone can distract the natives, I can fly in that. It won't be long but it might be enough time to drop something in the volcano."

"Something like what?" Bones asked.

"Cold fusion device," Jim muttered. When her best friend looked at her, she smiled. "It'll release thermonuclear energy and absorb the heat and render the volcano useless."

"Aye, lass, that might work. But how do we get the shuttle there without them noticing?" Scotty asked.

"Go at night," Sulu offered.

"Can't we put some shuttles in the water?" Giotto asked.

"Da, the ship has three shuttles equipped for extended submersion," Chekov said. "We put them in the water at night and they'll never see us."

"Okay, so who goes into that?" Bones asked, pointing at the hologram of the volcano.

"I will do it," Spock said.

"What about the Prime Directive?" the captain asked.

"If we are going to help, it would be best to do it correctly the first time," her first officer said.

"Alrighty then. Scotty, you'll have the con. Spock, Sulu and… Uhura will be in one shuttle. Me, Bones and… Hendorff will take the second shuttle. We'll be the distraction team while you guys get the device in the volcano. We got some work to do before nightfall on the surface, get to work. Dismissed."

"You're doing the right thing, Jim," Bones said after everyone cleared out.

"Am I?" she asked.

"Do you know why you're my best friend?"

"I wouldn't leave you alone and you resigned yourself to the fact that you can't get rid of me," Jim said.

"No… well, yes. You never give up. When everyone else is ready to throw in the towel, you refuse to. You're always fighting the good fight. These people need our help and I can't think of anyone in the universe better than you to help them," he told her.

"You getting soft on me?" she asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bones said with a wink. "Come on, we got a planet to save."

* * *

"Dammit, Jim! That was our ride! You just stunned our ride!" Bones said.

"Oh, great!" she pulled the hood off her head. Jim heard the locals closing in on her and Bones. "Run!"

Their job of being the distraction was working perfectly, the planet's native inhabitants were chasing after them, which meant that they weren't anywhere near the other team.

"What the hell did you take?" her best friend asked.

"I have no idea, but they were bowing to it!" Jim answered as they ducked and dodged through the local plants and away from the spears being thrown at their heads. "Kirk to Shuttle One, the locals are out of the kill zone! You're clear, I repeat, get in there and neutralize the volcano, so we can out of here!"

"Captain, did the indigenous life forms see you?" Spock asked over the comms.

"No, Mister Spock, they did not," she replied.

"The Prime Directive clearly states there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilization…" he started quoting that dumb regulation again.

"I know what it says, which is why I'm running through the jungle wearing a disguise. Now, drop out the super ice cube and let's go! Kirk out!" Jim and Bones kept running.

"Jim, the beach is that way," Bones said.

"I know. We're not going to the beach. Cupcake, we're coming in hot on the south ridge," she called over comms.

"I'll be there," Gavin replied.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Bones groaned. Jim sat the scroll thing she stole from the locals on a tree and kept going. "I hate this!"

"I know you do!" Jim said as they reached the cliff and jumped off.

Jim put her rebreather in her mouth just before she hit the water. There was something about the feeling of being surrounded by cool water that sent a tingle down her spine. Both officers shed their robes and swam deeper, the lights of the shuttle a welcome sight. The hatch opened just as they got to it. Jim and Bones swam inside the small craft and waited for the hatch to close and the water to drain.

"Welcome back," Gavin said when he opened the airlock to the shuttle after the water was gone.

"How're they doing?" she asked as she took the seat next to him.

"The commander is still in the volcano," Cupcake told her.

"Spock, status?" Jim asked.

"I have activated the device, Captain. When the countdown is complete the reaction should render the volcano inert," her first officer reported.

"Yeah and that's gonna render him inert," Bones said from his spot behind her and Gavin.

"Sulu, can you get him?" Jim asked.

"Yea but the heat is messing with our engines, you're gonna have to pull us out," the piloted replied.

"Do it, we'll catch ya," she ordered.

She took over flight control while Gavin went to the back of the shuttle to set up the tether. It was going to be close. They had to go around the land mass before she could pull them out of the water but, luckily, the locals were where they left them according to the sensors. Still, they were gonna have to use the smoke clouds as cover and once Spock's toy worked, they weren't gonna have that anymore.

"Cupcake?" Jim called.

"I'm ready," he replied. Sulu and Uhura grabbed Spock just as Gavin, Jim and Bones hooked up their shuttle and pulled it out of the volcano.

"Is the passenger compartment compromised?" Bones asked.

"No, we're good," Sulu said. That was good. Instead of going back in the water, she flew them away from the volcano and up out of the atmosphere.

"Captain, Commander, the device has successfully detonated," Chekov told them over comms.

"Copy that. Congratulations, Spock," Jim said. "You just saved a world."

* * *

"How much trouble am I in?" Jim asked the man on the holo-screen.

"Not as much as you probably should be. It didn't hurt that you explained your reasons in your log. I can imagine it going a lot worse," Chris sighed. "You will have to defend yourself with the Admiralty in person, though. The Enterprise is being recalled. Officially, it'll be for shore leave but you and Spock need to see me as soon as you get here."

"I understand," she said. "You think they're gonna take her from me?"

"Not if I can help it, kiddo. I'll see you in a few days."


	35. Chapter 35

"Miss Kirk, Mister Spock, Starfleet's mandate is to explore and observe, not to interfere," Admiral Komack said.

"Actually, sir, Starfleet's mandate is the advancement of Federation knowledge about the galaxy and its inhabitants, the advancement of Federation science and technology, the military defense of the Federation and the practice of Federation diplomacy," Jim said. They really shouldn't play this game with her, her mom and Chris taught her well.

"You violated the Prime Directive," Admiral Jenson said.

"Yes, sir. I did. If there was a Federation colony on that planet instead of the Nibirans, what I did would've been expected," she said.

"But it wasn't a Federation colony, Kirk," Jenson said.

"I'm aware of that, sir, I'm just stating a point. What makes us any more important than them? The Nibirans are an intelligent species. Who's to say that they wouldn't be warp capable in the next few centuries? All we did was give them a chance. They didn't even see us," Jim argued.

"That's a technicality," Komack said.

"I am Vulcan, sir. We embrace technicality," Spock quipped. Jim was gonna have a good laugh at that one later.

Komack glared at them, "You two seem to think the rules are for other people."

"No, sir. I think the rules as they are, aren't working. The Prime Directive is a blanket regulation that promotes inaction. Sit back and watch," she looked at Admiral Marcus. His eyes widened slightly at the use of that last phrase. It was something that Bob said, probably to both of them. "It's not our lives and not our children so why should we care, right? Except, one day, it will be."

Komack opened his mouth to say something but Admiral Marcus spoke up first.

"Kirk has a point. You execution leaves a lot to be desired but I get what you were trying to do, Captain. You remind me of my old CO. Bob was always trying to help, even it got him into trouble." Marcus looked at her for a long moment. "If you were anyone else, you'd lose your command, however, I can't punish you for doing what got you command in the first place. So, an official reprimand will go in your file, Kirk. I advise keeping your nose clean. You're both dismissed."

* * *

"Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend?" a voice asked behind her.

"He's over there," Jim pointed to the end of the bar. Xi and a few of his friends pulled Gavin away. She didn't mind, she wouldn't want to hang out with a captain either and she was one.

"He keeps looking over here," he said. Jim looked in Gavin's direction and, sure enough, he was looking at her. "God, that man loves you. It's written all over his face."

"Well, I love him. Who knows, maybe one day I'll stop playing hero long enough to get married, have a kid," she said with a shrug.

"I guess that means Mister Hendorff and I are gonna have to have a long conversation," he told her before looking at the bartender. "I'll have whatever she's drinking. Top her off while we're at it."

"Eagle Rare," she said.

"The good bourbon. I think you spend too much time with McCoy," Chris said as their drinks were poured.

"Can never have too much time with Bones," Jim chuckled. "He keeps me honest."

"So I've heard," he sighed. "I can't believe you went off on the brass."

"Yes, you can. I do what I have to in order to get shit done, even if it means pissing the Admiralty off. I'm the one that wants to change the universe, I always have been," she said.

"That's true. Someone once said that well-behaved women seldom make history," the admiral said.

"Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. She's one of mom's favorites," Jim said.

"I think you're well on your way to changing the world we live in, kid," he told her.

"Really?"

"Yea. I believe in you, Jim. I always have," Chris said.

"God, you're starting to sound like mom. I'm supposed to have lunch with her tomorrow, you should come with," Jim said. She didn't get an answer because that's when her communicator went off. "When's the last time they called an emergency session?"

"It's been a while," he said. "Time to suit up?"

"Yea. I gotta get back to HQ," she said.

"I'll drop you off," Chris told her.

"Thanks. Let me…" she motioned towards Gavin. Chris gave her a nod and she grabbed her jacket as she slid off the bar stool.

"Oh, Captain, my captain," Xi called when she walked over.

"Not yet, Xi, but I am working on it," she chuckled. Scotty needed the best of the best in engineering and Xi fit the bill. Now that he could see again, there was no reason why he shouldn't be on the Enterprise.

"You should have a drink with us, Captain Kirk," one of the guys she didn't know said.

"I'd love to, guys, but I can't. I just got called into an emergency meeting. Yay me," Jim told the officers.

"I'll walk with you," Gavin offered.

"No, stay. I'm gonna ride with Pike. Have fun… not too much fun though," she said.

"Of course not, I'll save that for later," he said with a wink.

"You're a mess," Jim laughed.

"Maybe. But I'm your mess," Gavin chuckled. "Stay outta trouble."

"Now, you know better, Cupcake."

* * *

"Jim," her mother grabbed her arm as Jim walked through the lobby of the main headquarters building.

"Hi, mom," Jim said. "I'm guessing you got called to this meeting?"

"Captain Nelson is already upstairs," Winona looked around. "Something is very wrong, sweetie. I don't know what, yet. Just… keep your eyes open."

"Yes, ma'am," the younger woman whispered as Spock walked up to them. Her mom has killer instincts and if she's telling you to be careful, something was really bothering her.

"Captain, Commander," he greeted them.

"Spock," both women replied.

* * *

"Clear the room!" Jim yelled. Officers all over the place tried to run or hit the deck when the shooting started.

Admiral Marcus called this meeting to address the bombing of the Kelvin Memorial Archive in London. According to Marcus, an officer confessed to carrying out the bombing, claiming that he forced to do it buy another officer. Jim didn't buy that for one second. The fact that Marcus wanted them to hunt the guy down and kill him also rubbed her the wrong way.

Spock only added to Jim's unease when he pointed at something in the holograms from London. The pair of officers noticed that Harrison was carrying a bag of some importance and it seemed likely that the bombing was either a misdirection or something else was going on like her mother suspected. Jim had barely voiced her thought that the bombing was only part of whatever was going on when she noticed the red light flashing behind her. It was a jumpship.

"We need an air defense team, Daystrom conference room!" Captain Nelson called into his comm. Jim was only half paying attention to him, Captain Brubaker went down a few feet away from her and Jim made a dash to help the other woman.

"You're gonna be okay," Jim said as she pulled the other captain to an alcove at the back of the room.

"Stop this guy, Kirk," Brubaker grunted. Jim gave the other woman a nod and looked around the room.

She sprinted out of cover, swiping a rifle off the floor and started shooting at the ship. While she was shooting, Jim noticed the turbines and came up with an idea. She ran over to an emergency panel on the wall and ran over to it. Jim opened the panel and pulled out the fire hose, tying it to the rifle and tossing it at the jumpship. Like she thought it would, the ship sucked up the hose, pulling it off the wall and into the turbines. After it sputtered, the whole ship shut off and started to fall out of the sky. Harrison beamed out at the last second.

"Spock, are…? Mom," Jim ran over to the two commanders. Winona was still breathing but it was labored. "No, no, no, no, no. Mom."

"Still kicking," her mother whispered.

"Stay with me. Please, stay," Jim didn't know what to do. Spock was keeping pressure on her mother's chest wound, so Jim just held the woman who gave her life as the medical team got there.

"They have to take her, Jim," Spock finally whispered. She kissed her mother's head before they put her on the gurney and beamed her to the hospital. Jim didn't realize she was crying until Spock wiped off her face. "She is in good hands, Jim."

* * *

"Are you okay?" Gavin asked as his arms wrapped around her. Jim didn't have enough energy left to say anything, she just held onto his jacket like it was her lifeline.

Her mom was still in surgery. Bones went off to check on the surgery's progress and Uhura was on the comm with Sam. Jim had been pacing the the waiting room when Chris and Richard got there. The two men took turns letting her cry on them until Gavin and Xi got there.

"What is taking so long?" Sulu asked. Jim honestly had no idea.

"She's a Kirk woman, even unconscious, she's stubborn," Gavin quipped and Jim couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah, there's our girl."

"My mom is in there dying and you're making jokes," she whispered.

"Oh, please, Winona is gonna outlive all of us," Chris muttered.

"She's gonna be fine, sweetheart," Gavin said. She looked up at him. "There is nothing in this universe that can take that woman from you until she's good and ready. Doc's back." Jim turned around in Gavin's arms and looked at her best friend. Bones looked like he aged a decade in the last few hours.

"Jim," he sighed. Please don't say it. Please don't say it. "She's gonna be a pain in Boyce's ass until he releases her..." Jim didn't hear the rest of what he said.

"She's okay?"

Bones took a breath, "She's got some rehab in her future but she's gonna be okay. You, on the other hand, are covered in blood and I should take a look at the gash on your head."

"You can do whatever you want. I just want to see my mom."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost, almost, killed Winona. I literally changed my mind right before I posted this, I just couldn't do it.


	36. Chapter 36

Marcus must really think she's an idiot.

Scotty figured out that Harrison used a series of transporters and beamed himself to an uninhabited area on Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld. When she went to see Marcus, he gave her some crap about war with the Klingons being inevitable. Then, he dropped the bomb that the Kelvin Memorial Archive was really a top secret branch of Starfleet designated to Section Thirty-one that was developing defense technologies and training officers to gather intelligence on the Klingons. Harrison was supposedly one of their top agents.

Feigning concern for her and her crew, Marcus showed her some cool looking torpedoes that he wanted her to shoot at Harrison's location on Qo'noS. His exact words were "You park on the edge of the Neutral Zone, your lock on to Harrison's position, you fire, you kill him and haul ass." Jim knew he was playing them the second the words came out of his mouth. As soon as she and Spock left Marcus' office, and she was alone, she got on the comm with Richard.

"Go to Qo'noS, bring Harrison in for trial. I'll cover for you," the admiral told her.

"Thank you, sir. We'll get back to you as soon as we get back," Jim said before she closed the connection.

* * *

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Bones asked as they walked to the shuttle.

"By this, you mean hunting down the man who hurt my mother and killed a bunch of unarmed Starfleet officers, right?" she replied.

"Yea," the southerner said.

"I'm fine, Bones," Jim sighed.

"The hell you are," he gave her a look.

"I'm fine," she reiterated, more to herself then him, as she boarded the shuttle. "Status report, Mister Spock."

"The Enterprise should be ready for launch by the time we arrive," her first officer reported. There was something on the tip of his tongue.

"Speak your mind, Commander," Jim said.

Spock looked at her, "There is no Starfleet regulation that condemns a man to die without a trial, something you and Admiral Marcus are forgetting. Also, preemptively firing torpedoes at the Klingon homeworld goes against…"

"In case you weren't listening, our orders have nothing do with Starfleet regulation," she said. Jim wasn't gonna tell him what Barnett ordered until they were safely on the ship.

"Wait a minute, we're firing torpedoes at the Klingons?" Bones asked from the seat behind Jim.

"Regulations aside, this action is morally wrong," her first officer added.

"No shit," Jim muttered as Bones put a scanner on her face. "Guess it's a good thing that I wasn't asking for your opinion. Bones, get that thing off my face."

"Captain, our mission could start a war with the Klingons. And it is, by its very definition, immoral. Perhaps, you should take a requisite time to arrive at this conclusion for yourself," Spock said.

"What makes you think I haven't. You know me, Spock. Since when do I blindly follow orders?" she gave her first officer a look and something registered because he gave her a slight nod. Their conversation was interrupted when a beautiful blonde woman stepped up to them.

"Captain Kirk, Science officer Wallace. I've been assigned to Enterprise by Admiral Marcus. These are my transfer orders," the woman, Wallace, said in a crisp British accent, holding out her PADD.

"You requested an additional science officer, Captain?" Spock asked as Jim looked over the information on the PADD.

"I wish I had. Lieutenant Carol Wallace. Doctorate in Applied Physics, specializing in advanced weaponry," Jim said.

"Impressive credentials," her first officer said.

"Thank you," Carol gave Spock a small smile. Jim was too busy trying to figure out where she's seen this woman before. The file says that Carol graduated from the Academy in '58 like Jim, Bones and most of their friends but Jim couldn't recall a Wallace on their final class roster.

"But redundant as I am on the Enterprise," Spock said.

"Yes, and yet, the more the merrier," Jim told her first officer. She wanted to know what this woman was up to and the only way to do that was to take her along. "Have a seat, doctor."

* * *

"No, I'm not signing anything! Now, get these bloody things off of my ship!" Scotty yelled. "Captain!"

"Is there a problem, Mister Scott?" she asked.

"Aye, lass. I was just explaining to this gentlemen, that I cannot authorize any weapons on board this ship without knowing what's inside them," her chief engineer said.

"Mister Scott raises yet another point, that…" Spock started.

"Report to the bridge," Jim told her first officer. She handed him the PADD in her hands and he gave her a nod before he walked away. " _Scotty_ , I understand your concerns, but we need these torpedoes on board."

"Due respect, ma'am, but photon torpedoes run on fuel. Now I cannae detect the type of fuel that's in the compartments on these torpedoes, because it's shielded. Now I asked for the specifications, but he said…" Scotty pointed at the torpedo security guard behind him.

"It's classified," the man of Hispanic decent said.

"It's classified. So I said, no specs, no signature!" Scotty told her.

"Captain," a voice called from the catwalk above them. She looked up at Sulu. "Flight checks complete. We're good to go, ma'am."

"Thank you, Mister Sulu," she said. He gave her a quick nod and Jim turned her attention back to Scotty.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a warp core to prime," Scotty said as he walked away.

"Jim, your vitals are way off," Bones muttered.

"Report to sickbay, now," Jim ordered. "Scotty." She caught up to him. "I need you to approve those weapons."

"Do you know what this is, Captain?" he asked her.

"The warp core that I designed. It's a radioactive catastrophe waiting to happen," she said.

"Exactly, a subtle shift in magnetic output from, say, firing one or more of six dozen torpedoes with an unknown payload, could start a chain reaction which will kill every living thing on this ship," Scotty said.

"Who said I was gonna fire them?" Jim whispered.

"Aren't those our orders?" he asked her quietly, aware that there were plenty of people around.

"We've known each other for twelve years, Monty. Of all the people on this ship, you should know better," she said.

"Ye dinnae plan to follow our orders but something's up with the torpedoes so you want them on the ship so that I can look 'em over?" her friend asked. Jim smiled and shrugged. "Ye sneaky wee... Fine, I'll sign for them. Just dinnae use the bloody things."

"Wasn't planning on it."

* * *

"I need a favor," Jim said as she walked onto Gavin's room. They haven't assigned him a new roommate since Prescott's death, so she knew they'd be alone.

"Name it and it's yours," he said as he pulled his red uniform shirt on. Jim sat on his bed.

"I need a security checks on everyone on the ship, save Bones, Scotty, Spock, Uhura, Gaila, Chekov, Sulu, me and you," she told him. "My mom warned me that something was going on then she got shot. I don't buy that it's a coincidence. Start with our newest additions and work your way out. Bones says you can use his office, that way no one will know you're doing something for me and you'll have more access."

"Consider it done," Gavin said. "You okay?"

"Not really. We're being played and I don't like it," Jim sighed.

"Well, if anyone can figure it out, it's you," he said.

"Finally, someone with unwavering faith in me," she chuckled.

"They've been fighting with you?" Cupcake asked. She nodded her response. "Well, none of them understand how your brain works. To be fair, neither do I. But I know your heart and I know that you wouldn't have us running into danger without a damn good reason."

"How do you always know what I need to hear?" Jim whispered.

"No idea, short stack," Gavin said before pressing a soft kiss against her lips. "We have work to do."

"You sure I can't just hide in here with you?" she asked.

"We could but I doubt the universe is gonna wait for us."

* * *

"Captain on the bridge," Chekov said as she stepped onto the bridge.

"Retract all moorings, Mister Sulu," she said as she sat in the command chair.

"Yes, ma'am," Sulu said, his hands moving over the helm console.

"Lieutenant Uhura, open a ship wide channel," Jim ordered.

"Yes, Captain," the communications officer said.

"We're ready for warp eight, ma'am," Sulu told her.

"Alright, let's ride," she said.

"Channel open, ma'am," Uhura said as the ship took off.

"Attention, crew of the Enterprise. As most of you know, there have been two attacks on Starfleet facilities in as many days, with over sixty officers killed or injured. The man responsible has fled our system and is hiding on the Klingon homeworld, somewhere he believes we are unwilling to go. We are on our way there now. Per Admiral Marcus, it is essential that our presence go undetected. Tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire have been high, any provocation could lead to an all-out war." She chanced a glance at Spock before she continued. "I will personally lead a landing party to an abandoned city on the surface of Qo'noS, where we will capture the fugitive John Harrison, and return him to Earth so he can face judgment for his actions. Alright, let's go get this son of a bitch, Kirk out."


	37. Chapter 37

"Alright, whatcha got?" Jim asked Gavin. They were in the CMO's office with Spock, Bones, Gaila and Uhura.

"I'm assuming you already know that Carol Wallace is actually Carol Marcus?" Gavin asked her.

"I knew I recognized her, I just couldn't figure out from where," Jim sighed.

"She faked her way onto the ship and you didn't bother mentioning it to us?" Bones asked but Spock didn't look surprised.

"He figured it out too," she motioned to her first officer.

"I attempted to verify her transfer order," Spock said. "When I could not, I approached Doctor Marcus and she confirmed that she concealed her identity to gain access to the torpedoes. The deception was not intended for us, but for her father."

"So, Scotty's right, something is wrong with those things?" Gaila asked.

"Looks that way. What else did you find, Cupcake?" Jim asked.

"Inconsistencies in this file that don't make any sense," he said. Jim moved around the deck so she could see what he was looking at. "You see what I mean?"

"You know what they say; if it doesn't make sense, it's probably not true," she muttered.

"Who would be able to fake a file?" Bones asked.

"I good programmer," Uhura answered.

"Fleet Intel," Gaila offered.

"Section Thirty-one," Jim and Spock said at the same time.

"It's where Marcus got the torpedoes," the captain added.

"You don't think the admiral is Thirty-one?" her best friend looked at her. The thought hadn't crossed her mind until now. Marcus said the torpedoes were a Section Thirty-one project that the officers at the Kelvin Memorial Archive were working on, yet, he had seventy-two of the damn things on hand in San Francisco.

"Oh, my God," Jim whispered. "He sent us out here to be martyrs." They all looked at each other.

"How? Even if we were gonna shoot the torpedoes, we'd still be able to leave," Bones said.

"Not if Marcus had someone on the ship to sabotage the warp core," Gaila said. "I'm guessing that's what Hendorff found." She pointed to the console.

"So, Giotto's file is a mess. At first, I assumed he was our mole," Gavin said.

"But?" Bones asked.

"One, it's too obvious. Two, he served with Pike and it's missing from his file," her boyfriend said. "Three, Pike personally recommended him for this assignment and there's no way in hell the admiral would put a Section Thirty-one agent on the same ship as Jim. I mean, for all intents and purposes, she's his daughter."

"Whoever put this together didn't realize that," Jim sighed. "Are we back to square one?"

"No," Uhura said. "Gavin asked me to take a look. In all our files there are notes from CO's, section leaders… doctors. Most people write the way they talk and this person is no exception. The syntax for all the notes in this file are the same. I ran it through all the messages in the system since you got command and I found a match."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?" Jim asked.

"No, you're not," Gavin said as he handed her a PADD. On it was a bunch of cryptic messages and holos from all over the ship of one officer she thought she could trust. "He's been playing us since day one, Jim."

"After your announcement to the crew, he tried to send out a coded message that the plans have changed but you have us on a comms blackout, so I intercepted it and when it matched my search, I translated it," Uhura said. "What do you want us to do?"

"Let Giotto know what's up. Then arrest Price."

* * *

"What are your orders?" Giotto asked. Jim didn't say anything, she just sat next to the security chief and watched. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Price. What are your orders?"

Jim sat her PADD on the table and pulled up a holo of the warp core. Like she hoped, he turned his attention towards her. She eliminated a bunch of stuff that couldn't be sabotaged without blowing up the ship. And some other stuff that would set off an alarm. Price's eyes flickered to Giotto when Jim got to the coolant system.

"We have a winner," Barry said.

"I didn't say that," Price said.

"Body language is a language," Jim said, it was a phrase that Uhura used plenty of times. "I'm surprised they didn't teach you that. I think, and I'm just spitballing, that you were only here to feed the admiral information about this crew but when this opportunity presented itself, he ordered you to sabotage the coolant system, which would overheat the warp core and force an emergency shutdown. The Enterprise would be stranded on the edge of Klingon space after firing a bunch of torpedoes at Qo'noS. The Klingons, being Klingons, would kill us for firing on their planet. Leading the Federation and the Empire to war. Guys, thoughts?"

"Sounds like a damn good theory, Captain," Giotto said.

"That still doesn't explain Harrison, ma'am," Gavin added.

"Actually it does. Gaila and I checked out John Harrison's file. You know what we found, Price?" she asked. The man stared her but didn't say anything. "An assignment on Praxis to destroy the facilities. Uhura picked up comm traffic from the Klingons. Anyone want to guess which moon was destroyed a few hours ago?"

"Praxis," Giotto said.

"Praxis. Now, if I went rogue, there's no way in hell I'd finish an old assignment. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Harrison is acting on orders from Admiral Marcus," Jim said. Price looked at her and she knew she was right. "I'm done here."

"If you knew all this, why did you come in here to talk to me?" Price asked.

"Because I only knew half of it, the rest I was bluffing and you just gave me confirmation. Thanks for playing."

* * *

"Well, look at you. My own personal badass," Gavin said. Jim chuckled as she pulled on her jacket. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yep. Change your clothes, you're going down to the surface with us," she tossed a small bag at him. He gave her a look. "We are K'normian arms dealers. If this thing goes south, there can be nothing tying us to Starfleet. We're taking the ship we got from Mudd."

"Found a use for that thing already," Gavin chuckled and started peeling off his uniform. "What are we gonna do once we catch Harrison?"

"Take him back to Earth as per my orders from Admiral Barnett," Jim sighed. "Try to figure out just what Marcus is up to."

"You're worried," he stated matter-of-factly. She didn't have a response for that, she was worried. "Stop staring at my ass."

"But it's a nice ass and staring at it makes me feel better," she pouted. Gavin let out a booming laugh and looked at her. "What?"

"When this is all dealt with, we're going on leave and you can stare at me all you want."

"Hmm, that sounds like a plan," Jim sighed. Gavin switched out his clothes really fast and looked at her.

"We got this, babe," he said with a smile.

"I know. I just have a feeling that something bad is about to happen," she whispered.

"Maybe something bad is gonna happen. But that's not gonna stop us from doing good."

* * *

"I am detecting a single life sign in the Ketha Province. Given the information provided by Mister Scott, this is most likely John Harrison," Spock told her from one of the other seats in the cockpit of the small ship.

"Mister Sulu, I think we found our man. You let him know you mean business," Jim said over the comms to the officer she left in command.

"Aye, Captain," Sulu replied. " _Attention, John Harrison. This is Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise. A shuttle of highly trained officers is on its way to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will launch entire payload of advanced long range torpedoes, currently locked on to your location. You have four minutes to confirm your compliance. Refusal do so will result in your obliteration. If you test me, you will fail._ "

"And that's why he's Sulu, ladies and gentlemen," she quipped. She could hear Gavin and Edwards in the back of the ship chuckle at her.

"We arrive at Harrison's location in three minutes, Captain. It is unlikely that he will come willingly. I calculate the odds of him attempting to kill us ninety-one point six percent," Spock told her.

"I'm counting on it," Jim muttered.

"It is not wise to seek a fight, Jim," her first officer told her.

"Harrison should've thought of that when he hurt my mother and killed her CO," she said. "But you're right, I don't _want_ to fight with him. I doubt he'll give us much choice though."

Jim had to remind herself that she was one of the good guys. Did she want to beat the crap outta Harrison? Yes. Was she gonna? Depends on if Harrison made her. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a hit on their ship.

"What the hell was that?" Jim asked.

"We are being pursued by a D-Four Class Klingon vessel," Spock told her.

"I thought this sector was abandoned," she said.

"It must be a random patrol," Uhura offered. That was not comforting. Jim's hands flew over the controls as she tried to get them away from the Klingons.

"Hold on!" Jim called back.

"Captain, this ship has no offensive capabilities," Spock said.

"It's got us. Give me all six fuel cells," she ordered. Jim was gonna use the extra power to push the thrusters.

"Aye, Captain," he replied.

"They are closing fast, bearing two-eight-five," Uhura warned. Jim looked around and noticed a fissure between two structures.

"Right there! There! We can lose them there!" Jim said.

"If you are suggesting that we utilize the passage between the approaching structures, this ship will not fit," Spock told her.

"We'll fit," she said.

"Captain, we will not fit," Spock reiterated.

"We'll fit! We'll fit!" Jim yelled as she turned the ship on a ninety degree angle, barely scraping through the gap. Uhura called up that the Klingon vessel exploded as it hit the structure. The small ship made it through the fissure and Jim leveled it out on the other side.

"I told you we'd fit," Jim told her friend.

"I'm not sure that qualifies," Spock replied.

"Any sign of them?" she asked.

"No, which worries me," Uhura told her.

"Maybe we lost 'em?" Jim asked. It was more wishful thinking than anything.

"Or they're jamming our scanners," the communications officer said. No one in their ship got much of a chance to say anything as they were suddenly surrounded by four Klingon vessels. Jim could hear the Klingons ordering them to set down.

"Captain, they're gonna wanna know why we're here. And they're gonna torture us, question us, and they're gonna kill us," Uhura said.

"I know," the captain sighed.

"We are outnumbered, outgunned. There's no way we survive if we attack first. You brought me here because I speak Klingon, then let me speak Klingon," Uhura told her. Jim took a deep breath before she nodded. Jim landed the trade ship and watched Uhura as the other woman walked towards the group of waiting Klingons.

"This isn't going to work," Jim muttered.

"It is our only logical option. And if you interrupt her now you, will not only incur the wrath of the Klingons, but that of Lieutenant Uhura as well," Spock said.

"Did you just make a joke?" she asked. Spock looked at her for a second before he turned his attention back to Uhura out the window. "Edwards, that case by your foot is full of weapons. I have a feeling we're gonna need them."

"They're not gonna listen to her, are they?" Gavin asked as he handed Jim and Spock weapons.

"Nope," Jim sighed.

No sooner had the word come out of her mouth did the Klingon in front of Uhura reach out and grab her. Then, someone, Jim had a good guess of who, started shooting at the group of Klingons. Uhura used the distraction to free herself and Jim and the rest of the away team poured out of the ship shooting, covering their officer.

This is _not_ how she was supposed to spend her day. She was supposed to have a break. Lunch with her mom and Chris, and some uninterrupted alone time Gavin. Instead, Jim was fighting her way through a group of pissed off Klingons because Harrison fled to this hellhole and there was no way she could just let him get away. Jim found herself tackled to the ground, Gavin's arm around her waist. She looked past where she was just standing and saw a Klingon pulling his weapon back from the wall her head was just next to. Jim lifted her arm and shot the soldier before he could attack them. Gavin smirked.

"What's with that look?" she asked.

"You shooting people in my arms. Very hot," he chuckled and they pulled themselves to their feet. Jim spotted Spock and Uhura watching someone. Harrison. The man was dropping the Klingons like they were nothing.

"Where's Edwards?" Jim asked Spock when she got to him.

"He did not make it, Captain," her first officer reported. Shit, another officer under her command was gone.

Harrison finished off the last of the Klingons and pointed his weapon at the four Starfleet officers, "How many torpedoes?"

"Stand down!" Spock ordered with his weapon pointed at the other commander. Harrison shot the rifle out of her first officer's hands and looked at Jim.

"Your torpedoes! The weapons you threaten me within your message. How many are there?" Harrison asked again.

"Seventy-two," Spock said. Harrison paused for a moment, then he dropped his weapon.

"I surrender," the man in front of them said. There were so many things that Jim could do, that Jim wanted to do to this man but she wasn't that kind of person.

"Gavin, I'm not leaving Edward's body here. Spock, Uhura, cuff Mister Harrison."


	38. Chapter 38

"Let me explain what's happening here. You are a criminal, I watched you murder innocent men and women. I was authorized to end you and the only reason why you are still alive is because I am allowing it. So, shut. Your. Mouth," Jim growled.

"Captain, tell me, why did you allow me to live?" Harrison asked, his voice icy.

"I'm not a murderer," she said. It really was the only reason she didn't kill him. Well, that and her mother would kick her ass.

"Indeed, it's why I surrendered to you. You have an unwavering dedication to your morals, no matter what it costs you," the man on the other side of the transparent wall told her. Jim had a feeling like he was speaking from personal experience but she couldn't figure out when and where she ever met him before, if she ever met him before. "Two-three-one-seven-four-six-one-one. Coordinates not far from Earth. If you want to know why I did what I did, start there."

"Give me one reason why I should listen you," Jim said.

"I can give you seventy-two. And they're on board your ship, Captain. They have been, all along. I suggest you open one up."

* * *

"What are you gonna do?" Gavin asked her.

"I want to take a look at those coordinates but we're not close enough to make it count, we won't be for another few hours. I'd send someone but there's no one to send," she sighed.

"Xi," he said. "If we asked, there's not much he wouldn't do."

"Do you feel comfortable pulling your best friend into this mess?" Jim asked.

"Not really but we don't exactly have any other options. Your mom is in the hospital and Pike and Barnett are covering our asses, that leaves Xi," Cupcake sighed.

"I'm not gonna order you to ask him. It's your call," she told him. Gavin thought about it for a long moment, probably weighing the ramifications to his friend if this whole thing gets any worse.

"I'll comm him," he finally said. "Heads up. Doc's on your six and he does not look happy."

"Are you out of your damn mind? You're not gonna actually listen to this guy. He killed a bunch of people, he almost killed you and Winona, and now you think it's a good idea to pop open a torpedo because he dared you to?" her best friend asked as he walked up to them in the corridor.

"The doctor does have a point, Captain," Spock added as she steered them into the turbolift, leaving Gavin to comm Xi.

"Don't agree with me, Spock. It makes me very uncomfortable," Bones grumbled.

"Perhaps you too should learn to govern your emotions, Doctor. In this situation, logic dictates that we have…" her first officer started.

"Logic! My God! There's a maniac trying to make us blow up our own damn ship, and you're talking about…" her best friend said.

"You two know that contrary to popular belief, I'm not an idiot," she said. They both looked at her. "He wants something, I already know that. The question is what? And what's so special about those torpedoes? Right now, we're playing chess without all the pieces. There's no way it ends well."

* * *

"Have you read his whole file?" Gaila asked as she stepped into Jim's ready room.

"Who?" Bones asked before Jim could.

"Harrison," the Orion said.

"I skimmed it, why?" Jim asked. Gaila sat down between Bones and Spock, tapping something into her PADD. Jim chuckled when the screen on her console changed, her green friend was the only person who could get away with that.

_Full Name: Harrison, John Richard_   
_Service Number: KG198-7409EVD_   
_Clearance: 31-Alpha112520_   
_Species: Human_   
_Rank: Commander_   
_Specialty: Anthropology_   
_Date of Birth: 2228.43 (February 12, 2228)_   
_Birthplace: Dover, Kent, Great Britain, Earth_   
_Father: Harrison, Richard – Deceased (2246.115)_   
_Mother: Harrison (nee Jones), Sara – Deceased (2246.115)_   
_Marital Status: Single_   
_Education: MS Applicable Mathematics, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2250_   
_Current Assignment: -Classified-_

_Previous Assignments:_   
_2255 – 2257 Associate Researcher - Starfleet Data Archive (East Annex), London, Earth_   
_2253 – 2255 Junior A &A Officer - USS Endeavor NCC-1001_   
_2250 – 2253 Cadet - Starfleet Academy_

_Psychological profile: -Data corrupted-_

"What am I looking for?" Jim asked her friend.

"The date his parents were killed look familiar to you?" Gaila looked at Jim.

"It's the day Kodos executed half the colony on Tarsus," the captain answered automatically. Then she froze. "They were on Tarsus?"

"Yes. When I saw the date, I looked his parents up. They were researchers on the colony. Harrison was there too," her friend sighed. "He's five years older than you, so I'm assuming that you probably didn't know him."

"I spent most of my time with mom, Hoshi and the other kids. Sam might know him but I'm not dragging my brother into this," she told the three officers in front of her.

"Maybe that's why he surrendered to you. I mean, for a second, imagine if your family died in that mess. With your skill set and no family to guide your moral compass, you'd be more dangerous than you are now. SI and Section Thirty-one would have to recruit you just to keep an eye on you," Bones offered.

"His skills do align with many of your own, Jim," Spock added.

"He's you without George, Winona and Pike… And us," Gaila said. "I'd bet that his orders at Daystrom were to kill you and he missed."

"Why do you think that?" Bones asked. Jim actually had the answer.

"Marcus can't control me and he knows it. You should've seen his face when we went before the board. Especially when I mentioned Bob April. As far as Marcus knows, I'm either very loyal to a man who's been dead for twenty years or I know he's not dead and I'm loyal enough not to say anything. In either case, Marcus can't control someone whose loyalties trump orders and regulations. He also knows enough about me to know that I'd never willingly start a war."

"You're not dead but Winona was almost killed. Given your love and loyalty for your mother, Marcus assumed that you were so pissed off that you wouldn't think twice about killing the man responsible, especially if the orders gave you permission," the southerner said as realization dawned on them.

"Exactly. That also means he knew Harrison was gonna shoot the place up," Jim said before her comm beeped. "Kirk."

"Captain, Doctor Marcus and I found something. Ye need to get down here, lass," Scotty said.

Jim looked at the other officers with her, "We're on our way."

* * *

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?" Jim asked Harrison.

"There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there," he told her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because Marcus was going to use them. They're Augments," the officer told her.

Between 1992 and 1996, the Eugenics Wars, or the Great Wars, were a series of conflicts fought on Earth. It was the result of a scientific attempt to improve the Human race through selective breeding and genetic engineering that caused million deaths and nearly plunged the planet into a new Dark Age. Augments are a left over piece of that time.

Designed to be remarkably agile, immensely strong and twice as intelligent as a normal Human, Augments were resistant to sickness, had enhanced senses, possessed heart muscles twice as strong and lung efficiency 50% better. They also had twice the average lifespan. Along with their superior abilities there was a defect in their genome: the Augments were aggressive, arrogant and ambitious, with a diminished sense of morality.

From what Jim remembers of her history, the whole race of Augments was condemned as criminals and forced into exile. Then-Captain Archer ran into some about a hundred years ago but they were killed.

"He wants to use them to fight the Klingons," Jim guessed. Glancing at Spock, he was thinking the same thing.

"Yes. Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time, but for that he needed a warriors mind. We're no match for the Klingons as we currently are, at least to Marcus' thinking. He wants to exploit their savagery. He means to militarize Starfleet," Harrison told them.

"How did Admiral Marcus acquire six dozen Augments?" Spock asked.

"After the destruction of Vulcan, Marcus assigned Section Thirty-one to conduct secret investigations in unexplored space for means of better defending the Federation. We discovered the SS Botany Bay. Aboard the ship, among others, was Khan Noonien Singh," the Section Thirty-one agent said.

"Fuck," she breathed.

Required reading at the Academy for command cadets included information about some of the best military leaders in Earth's history. Khan Noonien Singh was one of them. He was the most prominent of the Augments in the Eugenics Wars. Khan was considered a genocidal tyrant who conquered and killed, in the name of order, anyone he considered unworthy.

"You know who he is," Harrison said.

"I do," Jim sighed.

"Then you also know that it won't stop with the Klingons," the man in front of her said.

"Khan would take anything Marcus would give him. Kill him. Then cull the whole galaxy," she said.

"You're smarter than your reputation suggests, Captain," Harrison said.

"Daystrom?" the young captain asked.

"Orders," the officer shrugged. "Orders I did not complete. I remember you from when you were younger. You fought an impossible battle back then and won. I knew that you were my only chance to stop this."

"So, I was a target?" Jim asked.

"Indeed. Be careful, Kirk. You know far too much of Marcus' plans for him to ignore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided not to make Harrison and Khan the same person. I didn't mind it in the movie but I would've preferred that they went one way or the other with it. Apparently, JJ Abrams agrees. He said that he wished he hadn't hidden the character's identity in hindsight. The file Marcus created for Harrison had him as a Tarsus IV survivor and his parents were killed, so I used it for his background.


	39. Chapter 39

"Captain, I'm getting a reading I don't understand," Sulu said to Jim. She sat in the command chair just as they got knocked out of warp. Okay?

"Where are we and what the hell was that?" Jim asked.

"We're two hundred and thirty-seven thousand kilometers from Earth!" Sulu called. "Still trying to figure out the what."

"Gimme a damage report," she ordered.

"Weapons are down, Keptin," Chekov said. "We're defenseless."

"Ma'am, we have a bulk head breach," Hannity told her as the large ship that Jim didn't recognize started shooting at them.

"Major hull damage, Captain," Lieutenant 0718 reported.

"Evasive maneuvers, Sulu! Get us to Earth, right now!" Jim ordered. "Uhura, hit the emergency beacon. We're close enough to Earth that someone at the starbase should pick it up." Uhura nodded.

"Captain, stop! Everybody on this ship is going to die if you don't let me speak to my father," Carol said. Jim looked at the other woman for a long moment before she nodded and ordered Uhura to hail them. Hopefully, this would give them some time for some reinforcements to show up. Jim doubts it but she was hoping.

"Sir, it's me. It's Carol," the weapons specialist said. Like magic, the other vessel stopped firing on them.

"What are you doing on that ship?" Marcus appeared on the large screen.

"Trying to figure out why the man who raised me is attempting to kill a ship full of innocent of people. You're trying to murder seven hundred Starfleet officers. For what? A war that hasn't even started yet? You'd destroy the flagship and kill the best and brightest minds in the Federation for no reason? Dad… This is… This is something I would've never thought you'd be capable of. And…if I'm wrong about that, then you're gonna have to do it with me on board."

"Actually, Carol, I won't," the admiral said. A few seconds later, the other ship started to beam Carol out.

"Jim," Carol looked at her.

"Can we intercept the transport signal?" Jim asked.

"No, ma'am," Ensign Levine said with a shake of his head. Just then, Carol disappeared from the bridge.

"Captain Kirk, without authorization and in league with the fugitive John Harrison. Then you went rogue in enemy territory, leaving me no choice but to hunt you down and destroy you," Marcus told her before looking at his men. So, that's how he planned to justify it now. "Lock phasers. Let's make this quick. Target all aft torpedoes at the Enterprise Bridge."

"That's how you want to play it, sir? You honestly think that I went all the way to Qo'noS without telling someone what was going on? You think we're not recording and broadcasting this? That we're not uploading it to a server somewhere? I'm crazy, sir, not stupid. I had no delusions on your intent when you gave me the order to kill a man in cold blood. You want us dead to start your war. The destruction of the flagship is a hell of a recruitment tool. Even if you kill us today, you still won't win."

Marcus glared at her before he looked at someone off-screen, "Fire at will."

The viewscreen went dark and Jim took a deep breath. She turned to look at the men and women on her bridge. Her eyes met with Spock's, her first officer's gaze held back nothing. He was scared.

"It…" she swallowed the lump in her throat. "It has been an honor."

"The honor is ours, Captain," Uhura said, her usually musical voice shaky.

The officers on the bridge of the Enterprise stood tall. If they were going down, they were gonna hold their heads high. Marcus may have forgotten his oath as an officer of Starfleet but Jim and her crew sure as hell didn't.

"Their weapons just powered down, ma'am," Sulu said with a look of utter confusion.

"Enterprise, can you hear me?"

"Xi?" Jim was confused now too.

"You'll never guess what I found behind Jupiter?" Gavin's best friend said.

"You're on that ship!" she said. Jim wasn't sure if she was going to burst into tears or jump for joy.

"I snuck on. And now it seems that I just committed an act of treason against an admiral. So, I'd really like to get outta here, Jim. Beam me over!" Xi told her.

"You're miracle worker! We're…we're a little low on power right now! Just standby! Standby!" Jim said.

"Make it quick. I don't know what'll happen if they find me," the engineer said.

"Spock, our ship, how is she?" she asked her first officer.

"Our options are limited, Captain. We cannot fire and we cannot flee," he said.

"There is one option. Uhura, patch Xi through to my comm."

"Yes, ma'am," the communications officer said before returning to her seat.

"Spock, you have the con," Jim said before heading to the turbolift. She didn't even realize that Spock followed her until he spoke.

"Captain, I strongly object."

"To what? I didn't say anything yet," she sighed.

"Since we cannot take the ship from the outside, the only way we can take it is from within, and as a large boarding party would be detected, it is optimum for you take as few members of the crew as possible. You will meet resistance requiring personnel with advanced combat abilities and innate knowledge of that ship. This indicates that you plan to align with Harrison, the very man we were sent here to destroy," Spock surmised.

"You're only half right. I don't trust Harrison. I understand him but that doesn't excuse what he did," Jim said.

"So, what are you going to do, Captain?" he asked.

"I'm going over there to end this. I'm just not dumb enough to take Harrison with me. Head back to the bridge." She walked into sickbay, where she had security move the Section Thirty-one agent when she realized that Marcus was scanning the ship for him. Jim walked up to Harrison. "Tell me everything you know about that ship."

"Dreadnought Class, two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry, modified for minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat," Harrison told her.

"You up for a field trip, Cupcake?" Jim asked her boyfriend, he was one of Harrison's guards..

"Of course I am. How are we gonna get in?" he asked with a smile.

"Xi," she told him. "He just needs to drop the shields for a second so we can beam through them. We get Xi, we get Carol, we stop the admiral, then we go home." Gavin smirked when he realized his friend came through for them.

"I copied all that. You guys might want to get set up, we'll only get one shot," Xi said over her comm. "I can't believe you're gonna come and get me, I feel so special."

* * *

"You sure about going over there blind, kid?" Bones asked.

"According to Carol's notes, the layout of that ship is similar to this one. With my and Xi's engineering knowledge it should be a piece of cake compared to the Narada," she told her best friend. "I'll be fine, Bones. Gavin won't let anything happen to me."

"Yea, well…" Bones started but they were interrupted by Spock on the comms.

"Captain, we are reading multiple Federation vessels on approach. You will need to make haste. If the Admiral's vessel regains their weapons..."

"They'll start shooting at the other ships too. Copy that. Xi, you ready?" she asked.

"You know it," he replied.

"We'll be right back," Jim said to Bones before taking the rifle that Gavin offered her. "Scotty, count it down."

"Be careful, lass," the engineer said. "Alrighty, Xi. In three, two, one."

* * *

"Welcome to the Death Star. On the menu today, complete and utter destruction," Xi smirked. "We gotta move. They're gonna know we're here."

"Take this." Jim handed him a phaser

"Thought of everything, huh?" Xi quipped.

"You have met my mother," she said as the three of them began to jog through the massive ship. After a few minutes, Xi looked at her.

"Why aren't we taking the turbolifts?"

"They'd be able to decide where it went and have us locked in a cage. Both are bad," Gavin answered for her. Jim nodded, that was what she was gonna say.

"So, taking this path near the main engine is so that they won't be able to use their weapons here without destabilizing the warp core?" Xi asked.

"Right you are," Jim said.

The trio lapsed back into silence as they continued to move through the large engineering area. Scotty would be in heaven in this place. Jim could see him going through this ship to see how everything worked and figuring out how to add them to their silver lady. Her mother would probably be right next to him.

Just as they rounded a corner, a guard popped up out of nowhere. Gavin took care of the guy just as more of his friends showed up. Jim elbowed the guy behind her in the face and flipped him over her shoulder. She glanced over at Xi, who isn't used to hand-to-hand combat, holding his own but not winning. Gavin pulled the guard away from his best friend and Jim decked him.

"How do you two do that?" Xi asked.

"What?" they said at the same time. Xi gave them a look. "Just do," again, in unison.

"Okay," the engineer muttered.

"Come on, boys. As soon as they get power back, they'll take out every ship heading this way."

They went up a few more levels and through another corridor before they found the ship's bridge. Jim looked at the two men with her and took a deep breath before giving them a nod. Gavin was through the door first, followed by Jim and Xi, all three shooting. Jim spared a quick glance at Carol, the younger Marcus hit one of her father's men in the face, took his weapon and took out the two men in front of her.

"Admiral Marcus, you're under arrest," Jim said as she stood in front of the man.

He glared at her, "You're not actually gonna do this, are you?"

"Admiral, get out of the chair," she told him.

"You better stop and think about what you're doing, Kirk. You had better think about what you did on Qo'noS. You made an incursion onto an enemy planet and you killed a Klingon patrol. Even if you got away without a trace, war is coming! And who is gonna lead us? You? If I'm not in charge, our entire way of life is decimated! So you want me off this ship, you better kill me."

"I'm not gonna kill you, sir. But I could stun your ass and drag you out of that chair. I'd rather not do that in front of your daughter." She looked over at Carol, "You alright, doc?"

"Yes, Captain," Carol said with a nod.

"I'm acting on orders from Admiral Barnett. And Komack, believe it or not. I didn't go rogue, you did," Jim said.

"Captain, the other ships are here. Assistance for the Enterprise is already underway," Xi said from one of the consoles.

"I just dropped the shields. We're gonna have company in a second," Gavin said from another station.

Jim looked at the Admiral, "Alexander. It's over."


	40. Chapter 40

"Hi," Jim mumbled.

"Hey, babe. Feel better?" Cupcake asked. The last thing she remembered, she was doing paperwork on the couch in her living room. Now, she was next to Gavin in bed and she could only assume he moved her.

"I suppose. How long have I been out?"

"Three hours," he told her. "You've been working your ass off on no sleep, this was bound to happen."

"I know. It just sucks because I still have to finish my paperwork," she groaned.

"Not really. Commander Spock stopped by and did as much of it as he could do without you, which was almost all of it. You just have to sign a bunch of stuff and write some report but that's it," he told her. "I talked to your mother, they're releasing her tomorrow. Pike needs to see you when you get a chance. He said you can stop by his house."

"You angling to be my yeoman?" Jim asked.

"Hell no. I don't know how Rand manages your life and I really don't want to know. Your mom and Pike are family, so I took those myself but Rand is handing everything Starfleet. I don't envy her one bit. Marcus' actions are public."

"What?" Jim shot up on the bed. "How? Since when?" Jim knew that the brass wanted to sweep it under the rug, tell everyone that Marcus retired and move him to a penal colony off-world.

"Barnett," he sighed. "He's making a push for transparency. He dumped the recordings of Marcus trying to kill us onto the net. I only know because Uhura and Gaila told me, don't tell anyone it was him."

"Wouldn't dare. I'm not surprised, he hates politics more than I do," she chuckled. That was why Barnett oversaw the Academy for so long, there was something honest about making sure the cadets did, and were taught, the right things. He only moved to FleetHQ after Vulcan was destroyed and good leaders were in high demand.

"I noticed. I think it's a good thing. We won't win any points with the Klingons over that incursion but I prefer an honest fight if diplomacy doesn't work," Gavin said.

"Me too. I get that some things should be classified but I don't like that Marcus allocated a bunch of resources, built a massive ship on the secret base and no one noticed anything. Or that he had a whole division of people at his beck and call like that."

"Ships. Xi said there are two more at the Io Facility. They're not finished but they're there," he sighed. "Can you imagine the damage that those ships would've done?"

"Talk about something else, please," she groaned. The idea that they should all be dead and that Marcus was a bigger threat than she thought scared the shit outta her. It all makes her uneasy.

"Okay. How about we talk about what you're gonna wear tomorrow?" Gavin whispered against her neck. She smiled. FleetPR needed good press and there was nothing like seeing the hero of the planet happy and in love despite all the crap they've been through. So, Jim and Gavin were taking one for the team. They were going out and someone was 'leaking' the location to the press.

"You're just gonna have to wait and see."

* * *

"This is so weird," Gavin said with a smile.

"I know. It's like there isn't anything more important for them to worry about. I learned to ignore them a long time ago," she said about the idiots on the other side of the glass taking their holos.

"I get it, you're a big deal, you always have been. It's just odd having someone watching us eat. I bet there will be people taking apart everything on our plates and trying to figure us out," he chuckled. "How long before they get an ID on me, you think?"

"Ten minutes or less. You don't have a beard in your holo on file but if they add a connection to me to the search perimeters, it won't matter," Jim smiled. "At least they can't hear us."

"There is that. Although, they'll probably come up with something anyway. Wanna place your bets?"

"We're either engaged or secretly married," she chuckled.

"Maybe. Baby rumors are always interesting," he told her.

"Yea, no. I've been pregnant since I was twenty according to the rumors. It's annoying," Jim said with a subtle shake of her head. "They're gonna lose their shit when I actually get pregnant."

Gavin's eyes widened for a millisecond. "You want that? Babies?"

"One or two… one day."

"With me?" he asked her, their lunch forgotten.

She smiled, "Definitely."

They stared at each other for a long time.

"So, engaged or secretly married?" Gavin finally asked.

"What?"

"Engaged or secretly married. Which one would you go with?" he smiled.

"Married. Engaged is sweet but secretly married is romantic and rebellious," she answered. Jim chuckled, "Wanna get secretly married?"

"I do if you do," Gavin answered.

"I was kidding, Cupcake."

"I'm not."

* * *

"Can you believe this crap?" Bones asked the group at Chris' house. Everyone looked at him. "The press."

"Just ignore them, Bones," Jim sighed.

"Easy for you to say," the southerner grumbled.

"Easy? They've been sticking their nose into my life since I was a baby. It's not easy, I've just had practice ignoring it. What did they say that has your panties in a bunch?" she asked.

"Apparently, you and Hendorff got married in secret after an illicit love affair behind my back. I'm mending my broken heart by having lots of sex with a beautiful Orion," Bones said.

"You are having lots of sex with a beautiful Orion," Uhura pointed out.

"I know that. The part about my best friend being a cheater is the part that's pissing me off," her bestie grumbled.

"It's okay, Bones. I've been called a lot worse… to my face," Jim chuckled. "What do you think of our illicit affair, Cupcake?"

"I don't know how illicit it is. We're tame compared to McCoy and Gaila," Gavin said.

"And Spock and Uhura," Gaila said.

"And Chris and Rich," her mother added. "They're the most normal pair out of all of you."

"Well… normal might be pushing it," Sulu said. "Me and Alanna are normal."

"Only because I said something," Jim muttered.

"True but we're still normal compared to you," Hikaru pointed out.

"How do you figure?" she asked.

"You're Captain James Kirk. People want to be you or be with you. Nobody even knows who I am," the pilot told her.

"Yes they do," everyone said at the same time.

"You are more normal than me though," Jim conceded.

"Of course I am. They don't make up rumors about me being secretly married," Sulu chuckled. Jim and Gavin glanced at each other. "Unless it's not a rumor."

Everyone looked at Jim, then Gavin, then Jim again.

"You didn't?" Gaila asked.

"James Teresa Kirk and Gavin Parker Hendorff," her mother said. "Tell me you didn't."

"Didn't what?" Jim asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb, kid, it doesn't suit you," Chris said. "Did you two get married?"

* * *

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are."

Jim's been to her fair share of memorials over the years but this is the first time she's ever had to speak at one. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a bit worried but Uhura helped her with the speech, all Jim had to do was give it. So far, so good.

"We are here today to honor those who lost their lives, nearly six months ago. When Christopher Pike first gave me his ship he had me recite the Captain's oath. Words I see as a call for us to remember who we once were, and who we must be again. And those words… Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of Starship Enterprise. Her mission, to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilization. To boldly go where no one has gone before."

* * *

"Settling into your new position?" she asked as she stepped into the turbolift.

"Of course I am. I still can't believe they promoted me," Gavin said.

"I can. You were Giotto's first pick for security chief when he transferred to Intel. I didn't even have to sign off on it," Jim shrugged.

"You ready? They don't give five year missions to just anyone," he said.

The Enterprise's assignment came as no surprise to her; five years exploring the far reaches of space. If Jim was being honest, it was about damn time. Xi, Carol and Kevin joined the crew and the ship was all repaired and ready to go.

She smiled, "I was born ready, Mister Kirk."

"Good to know, Misses Hendorff."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is this is where I leave my heroes. I may write more in this AU but I'm not sure just yet. Thanks for all the reading and comments and kudos.
> 
> Love AJ.


End file.
